CBM 8-Bit Magazine Index: Commodore World

a
Mun Issue 19 ~
iH: February/March 1997

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR COMMODORE 64 & 128 USERS

Plus...
SuperRAM: The SuperCPU 64
gets a new playmate

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‘oranee—Gassony
flown Mark Fellows!
ithilively) debate)
@rums)/on various ody 2

Over 10,000 files for Co4/128-—Tarpest |
Ruble bomnain\andisharewareruplond/|
downlondlargaNnlitt }

expenis——-
X ming.

Genie
Voice Assistance 1-800-638-9636
How to log on: Terminal Program Configuration:
% Dial 1-800-638-8369 300/1200/2400 baud
% Upon connect, type HHHHH Terminal Emulation: ASCII or VT100
~ At prompt U#s=, type « RETURN Half Duplex/Local Echo ON
8N1 (8 data bits, 1 stop bit, NO Parity)

Answer questions and follow the on-line instructions to complete initial sign-on.

C O N

ISSUE 19 FEBRUARY/MARCH 1997

COMMODORE | Festurscs

10 eoFite: A Dynanic Parter For GEOS Users by Bruce Thomas
Get to know how geoFile may fill your simple database requirements.
1K NEWS MAGAZINE FOR COMMODORE 64 & 130 USERS 12 Conmopore’s Main DistRIBUTOR by K. Dale Sidebottom
st ina three-part series on how one writer views CMD's role.
22 Commopore Demos by Sherry Freedline
Genera Manager Learn how WDC's super processor differs from what you're used to.

26 Cteaninc Our THE GEOS Closet by Gaelyne R, Gasson

Charles R. Christianson

Get some hot tips on drawing new members to your group.
°
Eoiror
Doug Cotton Cotcumns
° 16 GrApHic INTERPRETATION by Paul Sullivan
Apverrisine Sates Making GEOS boot disks isn't hard if you have the right toal.
Charles A. Christianson 18 DeMoMAnia by Sherry Freedline
ay anecapee Take a tour of the best demo offerings from 1996,
(419) sa5"0023 22 Carrier DETECT by Gaelyne R, Gasson
a Online ASCH confusion getting to you? Look for clarification here!
Gpapitic Apts 24 Just For Starters by Jason Compton
Alternatives for getting more speed from your disk drive.
Doug Cotton
ate roe 28 GeoPRoGRAMMIsT by Maurice Randall
° More fun with programming under GEOS.
Evectronic Pre-Press & PrintING 30 BASIC Instincts by Doug Cotton
Mansir/Holden Some BASIC tips for speedy development.
o 32 Assempty LINE by Doug Cotton

Dealing with a geoCable becomes an easy thing to do.
34 816 BEAT by Doug Cotton
The new SuperRAM card plus in-depth timing info on the SuperCPU 64.

Cover Design by Doug Cotton

Commodore™ and the respective Commodore product namos
fare trademarks or registered trademarks of Escom GmbH
Commodore World is in no way affiliated with Escom GmbH,

ownor of the Commodore logo and technology, Commodoro | [IEP ARTMENTS

World is publishod 8 times annually by Creative Micro Designs,

Inc, 18 Benton Drivo, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646, 2 Fron tHe Eorror & ON Te Horizon
Second-Class Postago Paid at East Longmeadow MA, Annual

subscription rate is US$29,95 for U.S, addrossos, US$35.95 4 BackTaux 40 Cassino Aos

for Canada or Moxico, US$45.95 for all EC Countries, and © Commopore Trivia 40 Apverriser’s Invex

USS57,95 to all othor addronsos worldwide, All subscription
paymonts must be provided in U.S. Dollars. Mail subscriptions
to CW Subscriptions, c/o Croative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O.
Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646,

Entire contents copyright © 1997 by Creative Micro
Ds Inc,, unless othorwine noted. No part of this
publication may be printed or otherwise reproduced by any
means without prior written consont from the publishor, All
programs published in this publication are for the personal use
‘of the reader, and may not be copied or in any way distributed,
Alltights reserved. Programming examples and outinos inthis
issue which aro prosontod for educational purposes may bo
used In the creation of programs by the purchasor of this
‘magazine, provided crodit for tho routinos is cloarly prosonted

in either the program documontation, or tho program itso, See Our
Croative Micro Designs, Inc., assumes no responsibilty for

orrors or omissions in editorial, program listings or advertising CHECKSUM
Content, Creative Micro Designs, Ine. assumes no liability for

advertisars claims or reliability Utility
POSTMASTER: Send addross changes to: CW Addross On Page 39

Changes, c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East
Longmeadow MA 01028-0646

COMMODORE WORLD

WeEATHERING THE StoRM

usta few weeks ago the employees of Creative Micro Designs and Commodore
World were treated to one of New England's harshest spring storms to date,
as nature dumped some two feet of heavy snow in our area, Some of us were
without power for a couple of days and I personally had the great fortune of
having a tree split, part falling in my yard and the other part across my driveway.
But we all survived, and while there was a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards, the
real damage was minimal,

In the realm of today's Commodore market, we're sometimes challanged by
similar storms, both as users and as suppliers. Large setbacks happen from time
to time, and we simply do what we must to weather the storm, At Commodore
World we've had our share of ‘storms’, though possibly none so bad as thatwhich
we've recently been through. The storm | speak of here is the loss of subscribers
we have seen in the past few months, which has been rather dramatic. Sadly, our
loss iy also the Commodore community's loss, as the vast majority of those whom

have let their subscriptions lapse have done so because they simply aren't
actively using Commodore computers anymore.
Sad as this may be, we've carefully analyzed the situation, and taken what we

Jeel are the necessary steps to keep Commodore World in production, Without

this publication, many of the remaining users and suppliers would simply cease
to exist in the Commodore market. This considered, we feel a strong obligation
to do whatever we can to make sure that we're around for a long time to come.
Yet, the publication must work within the budgetary confinements dictated by the
size of the subscriber base.

While many of the char
of the largest is not—we'll no longer have an assistant editor to help create
Commodore World, This makes putting the publication together that much more
difficult. However, we've eased that somewhat by reducing the number of pages,
a step that was nece

yes will be evident directly in our pages, possibly one

ssary in any case to reduce cost. With reduced pages comes
the obvious loss of some regular columns, though we've tried to pad the impact
of that by constraining some of the larger columns to fewer pages. This will

fluctuate from time to time, however, as particular subjects need more or less

space. We'll also probably see some of the old columns make occasional
appearances when room permits, so don’t count them out entirely.

Meanwhile, there are some positive things happening as well. We've had a
small surge in new advertisers, and there a couple in the wings that may join in

soon. New releases, while coming slowly, are indeed coming. So hold on to your

keyboards—we not done yet, not by a long shot!

Doug Cotton
Editor

3 Issue 19

OADSTAR’

MONTHLY

CANEM) Disk! The Compleat Jon: 11 comes! tho
ote gamut of unin covered nore: ential itligence,

Hse Hel a ili lier reat
leven non-violence (which was a radical concept in its time).
Tibas cvenanesne tena we ue oat Oe eS
Peo ear pee Ae eka ed
jou can see how Jon's style changed as the years rolled by,
Sar aloe DOSiDS Sao, YSat aoe nOOGBOS 320

WV NEW Puzzle disid

The Compleat Crossword. every
rsswort pz pun i Pure Pe ong hugs
estecton! 230 puedes twos Barbara Schnks GRUCIVERBALIST program to prosont the
pusaieg asd allows you ls wait’ & pussie wnen itt aed eo nel voc kney hen oa

solved and which you haven't yet. Each 1541 disk contains 110 puzzles, 1581 Disk #0020D3|
820, Disk 1(1544) #003005 $10.Diok 2 (1841) #003705 $10

WH NEW C-128 Producti vity! The Compleat Lee O: six oi
Lee O. Clinton's best serious programs for the C-128 80+ column mode. Finance, auto,
expense, kitchen helper, genealogy, resume writing, mutual funds! One 1541 disk #003205,
|One 1581 disk #001703 $10.00

IW NEW Word Search! Super Star Search 1: 200 oigoat wou
[search puzzles by Stoven Thomas and Art Dudley, presented by John Seratino’s modern point
and click program. One 1541 disk #0011D5 One 1581 disk nod0803 $20.00

NEW Story disk! The Compleat Prosequest '95:
NEW! A 1544 disk wit all ofthe entrios in the 1995 short story wating contost oni, including
the throe grand winners, One 1541 disk #003505 One 1581 disk #001903 $5.00

Soft V/ear! LOADSTAR T-Shirts: unios gh

ledition Fruit Of The Loom T-shirts. LOADSTAR's nomosis, Knaos
ICainoon, stands up to rogular washing and drying. Where cise can
{you tind Commodore apparel? 50% Cotton//Polyoster. $15.00 each
With Irvy chipping! Small #960025, Medium #960125, Largo
#960225, X-Large #960925, XX-L #960425

Tools! Tutorials! The Compleat

FAMMEF: Best solior! Over Two megabytes of
© crammed and stuffed onto eight 5.25-inch disks or two"
| Plus tools, extonsiona, languagos, assombler, tutorials. and utitioa! 6.25 eet
#000505, 3.5-inch disk #000SD3. For $5 more, got C= Hacking MAG #O006D3 (on 3.5-inch
disks only and NOT available separately) to comploto
your programming sot, $20,00

PS Giruphics! Compleat PS Vol. 1

(Tho Print Shop by Broderbund or Printmastor roquirad).

lOvar 1300 artistic and navor before pubishod PRINT SHOP
limagos, Scan through the many PRINT SHOP imagos
sequentially, by namo, or by group number, Prous a key and

savo tho graphic you wart In 2-block, 3:block and overt
JPRINTMASTER graphic files! All that plus a printed guide!

Each volume is $20.00. Vol. 1: C-64/128 3.5-Inch disk item
#000143. 5.25-inch disks item #0009d5. Vol. 2 (graphics trom pe
'3.5-inch disk Item #0002d3, 5.25-inch disks item #0010d5,

vou" Marion

ed

c-64/128

3

___Description Item # Price ea. Total

Uso extra sheet of paper for large orders

BS iy eet eee

February/March1997

Loadstar Order form

iOS Clipzrt
TOADSTAR preconis te goes Geo
chetio NTA a ene oves eed a
ng py apo
LOADSTAR, as well as some great files fror
RE eee Ge
SE eee cranks how orn
as never been seen before! Use these nents
in your GeoPaint, GeoWrite and GeoPublishy
Pee e eo ete ite ca alice
ISpitt up your GeoFAX documents with the
Se se Seer Ac oete Briss ae $09
Ee tie ice se eh
neh eee eee LORDSTAR trea
seein a Samana T8 te onder Oy
eee ahd usseer Core oral
Hee ane nee nay oe

| 5.25-INCH DISKS |

Disk 01 - RAILS: Railroad art from Europe}
ind tho USA #0012D5

Disk 02 - VEHICLES/TAROT: Anwork of ole
land now autos; excellent geoPaint drawings of the

‘arot card set #00135

Disk 03 - CLIP ART: Includes converted
MacPaint files that have never betore been|
Wailable in Commodore format #0014D5

Disk 04 - OTTOWA/PRIME CLIPS: Artwork
tthe main landmarks of Ottowa; plus high quality
pubic domain clip art #0015D5,

Disk 05 - FONTS: Moro than 30 fonts trom pat

lssuos of LOADSTAR, plus articlos (in geaWrite
format) on creating fonts. Also two ready-mado]
veaders for use with your own documonts, one a

picture of a mail truck: the other reading FROM}
HE DESK OF #0016D5

Disk 06, Disk 07, and Disk 08 - gooPaint and!
Photo Album tiles with the great clip artwork}
featured on past LOADSTARS - includes
SeoCurmudgeon, Anamalia | and ll, Australian]

nimals, Valentine art and many moro #0017D5,
#0018D5, #0019D5

Disk 09 - GOODYKOONTZ FILES - Jaspor

‘Goodykoontz, born in Indiana in 1855, produced
Goodykoontz's Perpotual Calendar and Goneral

Reference Manual (A Book for the Millions). This|

isk includes scans from the book of a wide arra
1 subjects -- Gesturos and Attitudes, Poultry,
raniology, and more, #0020D5

Disk 10 - OLD WEST: Scannod Artwork from|
Dick Eatol's FAD Sottware - mostly woodcut styl
art of the old west, gold rush days and pionaor
cones. #0021D5

Disitiulla Care

Janniter Neely works
ith a wide variety of
ubject matter and
imatorials, Disk contains
some of her favoritos,
‘scanned into gaoPaint format
[Sido 2 is a collection of scanned
work of animals trom FAD

‘oars, Valentine's, St. Patrick's Day.
Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas
#002305

Disk 13 - PEOPLE/FACES: Scenes of people
and faces from FRO Software #0024D5,

Disk 14 - FRD CLASSICS: Dick's choice of
{he bost of the FR collection #0025D5,

othor prehistoric beasts, as woll
holce artwork from FRD, #0026D5

Disk 16 - SPORTS/MISC: Dozens of sports
latod clips #0027D5,

Disk 17 - OFFICE AND SCHOOL: Ciips to
10 usod at work and around the house #002BD5

Disk 18 -MUSIC & MORE SCHOOL|
CLIPS #002905,

Disk 19 - SEASONAL AND HOLIDAYS: A\
clip for any occasion H0030D5

Disk 20 - SEASONAL AND HOLIDAYS:
ip for any occasion #0031D5

[SS INCH DISKS)
Tho 9.5" disks are roughly equivalent fo Two and a

hall 5.25" disks

Disk 1: Equals disks 1, 2, 4B #00093

2: Equals disks 3,6, 7A #001003
Disk 3; Equals disks 5, 8, 7B #0011D3
Disk 4: Equals 9, 10, 114 #0012D3
Disk 5: Equals 12, 13, 11B #0013D3,
Disk 6: Equivalent of Disks 14, 15and
Jsome bonus files not on 5.25" disks #0014D3
Disk 7: Sports, Office and school, Musi
W015D3
Disk 8: Music, Holiday and Seasonal)
HO16D3
For your convenionce, GeoViewer is|
Included on each volume, GEOS 2.0 is}
suggested,

ans! The Compleat Maurice: a compiiation of 261

foltale card darnas wron by Maurica Jones, tho acknowledged master of card gamo simulations fo

tho C-64/128. Thero’s even a brand new, never betore publis

19d gamo called Boomorang, Two §.25|

inch disks #000705 or one 3.5 inch disk #000703. $20.00 postage pald!
Oodles Of Stunning Art! Tutorials! The Compleat Walt:

During LOADSTAR's first ton yours wo have published 24 of Walt Harnad's slideshows and multimodia|
fovonts, Now we've gathered them into one hugo collection; sovon 5.25 Inch disks. or threo 3.5 inch

disks! There are over 250 picturos, in

luding soma that havo never boon published. The greatest one

man collection of art on any computer platform. §.25:Inch disks order #070425 3.5-inch disks order

#070423. $20.00 postage paid!

Total Enclosed:

Q) Check/money order made payable
O Ameri

QO MasterCard 1 Visa
Card #

Exp Date

—

® 1-800-594-33

_State

Authorized signature
Subscribers: I prefer 15.25-inch diskettes 1 3.5

oo

Postal Code

to "Loadstar" in US Funds
an Express) Discover

inch diskettes

LOADSTAR

P.O. Boy

30008, Shreveport, LA 71130-0008

Questions: 1-318-221-8718 Fax 1-318-221-8870

3

=--!

COMMODORE WORLD

aS] we 26 4

|

! \ ! a

"eee ee

LETTERS AND QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS

Dear CW,

In Issue #17's Graphic Interpretation
column | get the impression that Perfect Print
LQ will work with a 9-pin Star NX-L000C
Commodore ready printer. Others have told
meit won't work with Commodore-compatible
printers. | have an NX-1000C. Will Perfect
Print LQ work with my printer?

Indeed it will, but only because your printer
actually has dual emulations—Commodore and
ASCII (the latter is actually a very good Epson
FX-80 emulation), To take advantage of this
capability, you'll need to change some settings on
your printer's dip switches.

According to the NX-1000C Printer Manual,
dip switch #5 controls the emulation, In the OFF
position, it emulates a Commodore 60 dpi (dot
per inch) printer, such as the 1525 or MPS 801.
Inthe ON position, the printer emulates the Epson
FX-80, which is an 80 dpi printer with the ability
Jo print up to 240 dpi.

You may also need to change the setting of dip
switch #1 (auto line feed) for some applications.
If this switch is in the ON position and you notice
that you're getting white bands in graphic output,
turn it OFF, If it is OFF and you notice that all
your print is coming out on the same line, turn the
switch ON,

Any programs that you have which support
Epson printers will usually provide you with a
much better quality printout in the ASCH mode
than they will in the Commodore mode, but you
may find that some of your programs only support
printing in Commodore mode, For those programs
you'll need to set dip switch #5 in the OFF position
to select Commodore mode.

If you have been using Commodore mode for
printing with GEOS, and then switch to using
Epson mode, you should be aware of some
differences. GEOS applications are designed to
print 640 dots per line (80 dpi over 8 inches).

When using a Commodore-compatible printer (60
dpi), you can only fit 480 dots on a line. So with
most applications you generally need to move the

margins inward while using a 60 dpi
(Conmodore-compatible) printer mode; this is

COMMODORE WORLD

no longer the case when you start using an 80 dpi
printing mode, because this is exactly what GEOS
was designed for. :

Also, in ASCH mode you'll need to use a
different printer driver, | suggest using the Epson
FX-80 driver if all you have are the drivers that
are supplied directly with GEOS. The
Epson8pin3pass driver is an excellent alternative
ifyou have access to it; you'll find it in many PD
collections, online or on the GEODRIVERS1 disk

from CMD. With Perfect Print LQ, the default

driver is perfectly suited to this print mode on the
NX-1000C, and this provides the very best quality
output you'll get from GEOS.

Dear CW,

Like your [CMD] advertisement says, FD
series is fast, HD is faster, RAMLink is fastest
atloading GEOS and applications. Isit possible
for the GEOS System Disk to be installed on a
chip like JiffyDOS, which could be switched
on or off? It would certainly be more
nd allow the user to make his/her
own configurations.

convenit

Putting GEOS on ROM is a bit of a sticky
business for a couple of reasons. First, CMD
would need to get permission from Geoworks
in order to do this at all, though that wouldn't
prove too difficult. Next, portions of GEOS
would need to be patched so that GEOS would
operate from ROM: this is a little more
difficult, though not insurmountable.
that said, let me add that CMD has previously
considered doing this. In fact, Geoworks actually
proposed the idea to CMD before they took over
distributing the product, Geoworks was curious
about having CMD create the hardware for them
in that particular cas

Why it never came to becan probably be pinned
on the combination of the development costs, and
the higher cost of the ‘medium (a ROM cartridge)
that the user would have to pay for. In addition,
there's actually a better solution.

While hooting the main files from ROM would
be exceptionally fast, GEOS still needs to check

4

‘for certain items on disks before the boot process

is completed,

Imagine for a moment that you had GEOS on
ROM, and bought a new device that required
replacing the default CONFIGURE file. If
CONFIGURE were in ROM as well, you just
wouldn't be able to add new hardware to your
system this way, So CONFIGURE and other
autoexec files need to be on disk. Given this, which
device should be searched for CONFIGURE?
Before you answer that, let mewarn you; no matter
which device you check, or even if you check them
allin a specific order, someone will want it done
fferently.
here are other similar scenarios with GEOS,
such as users who want tousean alternative to the
deskTop. To allow for this, deskTop too may need
to beon disk. What it boils down to is thata ROM
version is generally less configurable,

Aymany usersknow, GEOS tends to crawl without
RAM expansion, Yet, there's only one expansion
port on a Commodore computer, and both the
cartridge and RAM expander need it. A ROM could
he put directly into a Commodore REU (there's an
empty socket for this purpose), but that leaves out
users with other RAM devices like GEORAM or
BBGRAM. These users will also need a cartridge
port expander to use both devices together, So in
many cases, GEOS on ROM is also less convenient.

As 1 mentioned before, there is a better solution,
and that is RAMLink. Using geoMakeBoot to
install GEOS directly on RAMLink provides
booting of GEOS that is actually faster than ROM,
because the extra files like CONFIGURE and the
deskTop that have to be loaded can also come

from RAMLink, and ata speed much faster than

any other drive. RAMLink also lets you use
alternatives to deskTop, and to configure the
booting of the system as you see fit. Yes, it’s way
more expensive than GEOS on a cartridge alone,
but RAMLink also serves as the RAM expander.

RAMLink has other virtues—it's expandable,
is very usable outside of GEOS, and is also fully
configurable for autobooting—both for the 64
and 128. So combined with geoMakeBoot, 1 think
it’s the best GEOS cartridge possible.

§)

Issue 19

sinstaft of [ex ing
jeld,Mauric \a

s

Please begin my subscription to Commodore World as soon as possible!

Subscriber Information Payment Information
Name : : - Bill me later (one y
Add

City:

Count

Number

ynalure:

Mail payments to:

COMMODORE AND CompuTreR INDUSTRY NEws

Now Shipping: geoFAX 2.0
Maurice Randall recently announced that GEOFax version 2.0 is
finished and available, The following release was supplied:

Even though geoFAX isa relatively new program, there is already a
more powerful upgrade available. All current owners of geoFAX
version | are entitled to a free upgrade directly from the author,
i de, you must send in
your geoFAX registration. If you have lost the registration, then
simply send in your original disk.

Maurice Randall. In order to receive the upgra

V2.0 Highlights:

- Built-in file copier, renamer, and deleter

- Improved geoFAX to geoPaint utility

- Improved fax send/receive performance

- New phone directory

- More configurable

- Improved printer drivers with HP and Canon support
- Onsereen fax viewer

geoFAX V2.0 pricing remains at hipping and handling
and requires GEOS 64 or 128 , a Turbo232 or SwiftLink
cartridge, and a Class 2 or 2.0 modem with at least 16K of internal
RAM. A SuperCPU is highly recommended for improved
performance and faster printing.

Internet Book For Commodore
The Internet is a big place and it's not always easy to find all the in’s and
out's about taking advantage ofits features when checking it out forthe first
time. There's a lot of Commodore specific information available on the
Internet, but you have to know how to get to the information, and that can
bea Catch-2!
How dol get on the Internet? What term programs can L use? W
heck is FIP? Can I browse the World Wide Web with my C64? The Internet
Jor Commodore Users covers Hardware Bas erminaland Modem Basics,
Finding an Internet Provider, Getting Online and Signing Up, UNIX Shell
Account Basics, Email, Text Editors, Newsgroups, Telnet, Rlogin, FTP,
Archie, World Wide Web, Gopher, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Offline Mail
Reading, Sending and Receiving Email to access
other Internet sery nd more. The book also contains a comprehensive

=

les, Mail Lists, Using.

Glossary, Commodore Terminal Program Key
t and Internet Resource List.

Author Gaelyne Gasson (formerly Gaclyne Moranec), once editor of
4 Alive!, has been writing about Commodore computers and

'quivalents, a Products

COMMODORE WORLD

modeming for several years, with columns and features in Commodore
World and BBS Magazine. She has also written about Commodore
computing for other publications such as: C=Hacking, Commodore
Network, and Loadstar. After answering countless letters helping others
learn the ropes of telecommunications, she has written thisbook specifically
for Commodore users who want to take advantage of the Internet,

‘The Internet For Commodore Users is to be packaged with a special
version of Novaterm v9.6 Lite by Nick Rossi, and is being published by
VideoCam Services, owned by Rod and Gaelyne

The Internet for Commodore C64/128 Users, ISBN: 0-646-31615-X,
$36.95 Australian (presently about US$29.95) plus shipping: $5.00 AU to
International Express: $15.00 AU (US$12.00);
50 AU (US$9.00); Economy Airmail: $8.00 AU (L

Orders can be accepted through postal mail, Email, phone or from the
World Wide Web at http://hal9000,net.au/~moranec/bookord.html,

VideoCam Services can accept payment via cheque, MasterCard, Visa,
Bankcard and American Express cards, If ordering from outside Australia,
your card will be billed in Australian dollars.

If ordering from USA and paying by cheque, please make the cheque
payable to “VideoCam Services” in theamount of $29.95 plusshipping (use
the US amount), We're sorry, but money orders of any kind can not be
accepted,

son,

anywhere in

VideoCam Services
90 Hilliers Rd.
Reynella, SA 5161

gaelyne@hal9000.net.au

Caloke No Longer in Operation

aloke Industries, a supplier of public domain software for the
Commodore market who has often advertised in Commodore World's
sified ads, has recently ceased operation. No further details were
available at press time.

cla

CPU Joins Deadbeat Publication List

Commodore Power User, a publication which recently advertised in
Commodore World, has apparently joined the long list of Commodore
publications that ha en the money and run. Based on customer
complaints, Commodore World has been trying to locate the publisher,
Tom Gosser, for comment. The phone number supplied by Mr. Gosser
is now reported to be out of service.

Issue 19

Commodore World deeply regrets any loss our subscribers may
have taken in subscribing to CPU, and has given much consideration
to changing our policy on allowing advertising by other publications
within our pages. However, we feel it would be even more ofa dis-service
to the Commodore community if we were not to give other publishers
an opportunity to make their publication known, and it’s impossible
to know in advance whether an advertiser will fulfill its obligation. We
fully consider purchases

in warn our readers to cai
e not familiar with.

do wish to once
with any company or individual th

CMD Set to Release SuperRAM Card for SuperCPU 64
Creative Micro Designs, Inc. hasannounced that it will begin production of
the SuperRAM card for the SuperCPU 64 the first week of May.

The card holds up to 16 MB of RAM which can be directly accessed as
program memory by the SuperCPU 64, and willbesold both atelyand
in bundles with the SuperCPU in various memory configurations. CMD
rds sold to

noted that a user-installable ROM upgrade will accompany c:
SuperCPU 64 owners.

It was also announced that a GEOS driver was exected to ship with the
card that would allow the extra RAM to be used as high-speed RAM disk
with GEOS applications. CMD indicated that transfer speeds of 2 MB per
ion, about double the

second should be easily attained in such an applic
speed of DMA transfers using a Commodore REU,

Initial prices for the card are slated at $79.00 (no RAM), $94.00 (1 MB),
$119.00 (4 MB), $149.00 (8 MB) and $199.00 (16 MB). SuperCPU 64/
SuperRAM bundle pricesare initially set for $259.00 (no RAM), $274.00 (1

MB), )0(4MB), .00(8 MB) and $379.00 (16 MB).CMD cautioned
that prices are subject to fluctuate based on RAM prices. Further technical
details about the SuperRAM card can be foundin thisissue’sinstallment of
816 BEAT.

In other news from CMD, work continues on the SuperCPU 128, The
RAM circuitry for this card is now complete, as is the daughtereard which
is installed in the computer's MMU socket (the MMU in turn is placed on
the daughtercard). In addition, about half of the Super128/RAM card has
been physically laid out. The remaining work left is in completing the 128
MMUemulation logic forthe Super128 CPLD, gout thedaughtercard,
finishing the layout of the Super128/RAM card, and testing the final
design, While CMD feels these stages won't take a lot longer, they caution
that once everythingis finalized and approved, it still requires about 6 108
weeks to get the final product into production from that point.

Commodore & Amiga Moving to Gateway 2000?
There's been a recent flood of press releases and messages on the Internet
‘echnologies, the ESCOM division that
presently has the rights to the Commodore 8- and 16-bit computer
US firm Gateway 2000 has placed a bid on buying this division as part of
ESCOM's bankruptey liquidation, and the bid has been accepted, Final
in the matter, however, is dependant on the German courts, so the sale is
not final at this point. Gateway 2000, alarge manufacturer of Intel PC's that
use a Microsoft operating system, say’ that they will continue to develop
and manufacture Amiga products if the sale is approved.

concerning the sale of Am

fhe

Upgrade Chips Miscellaneous

6510, 6526, 6567,6569, 6522, 8502, 128-D Keyboard (NEW) $19.95
8562, 8563, 8564, 8721, 8722, 325302, C-64 Keyboard $14.95

Monitor Cables
1541/1571 Alignm $15.95
1084S Motherboard w/ Flyback $69.95
1084S Power Supply Board (Refurb) $29.95
C-64 Cabinet (Top/Bottom) $12.95
Commodore Joystick (Capt, Grant) $2,95

390059, 251968 $8.95 Call

901225, 901226, 901227, 906114PLA...$6.95
251715, 251913, WO1772 $10.95
314972-03 (C128 ROM Upgrade) ., $24,95

Motherboards

Commodore Diagnostician: Guide to
diagnose & fix C64/128/1541 .... $6.95
Manuals; 1084,1581,1571,C64,C128 Call

Floppy Disk Drives

1541 (Relurbished) $29.95
1571 (Refurbished) $39.50

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1541 (NEW) Newt. Assembly.... $12.95 Verbatim 5.25 SS/DD Disks(10 Pak) . $1.99
4541-11 814,95 Amiga A500 (Rev.3) PCD NEW $49.95
1571 (NEW) $16.50
C-64 (Refurb ested) .. $21,95 Power Supplies
(All Powor Supplies are NEW)
6-64 (untested, as is, all chips). $17.95,
64C (NEW) $ 64 ngn-repeNreie . $14.95
0-128 (NEW) $34.00 C64 repairable $19.05
€-128-D (NEW) “'ga4.09 0°64 Heavy Duty (5.2 amps)... $99.95
° C-128 Hoavy Duty (5.2 Amps) .. $39.95
Diagnostics Manuals 5.2 amps for Ram Expander Units $39.95

154111 external 110 volts
1581 external 110 volts 87.
$24.95

1084S Flyback (Phillips)
1084-01 Flyback ... $35.95,
1084 Flyback (Daewoo) $35.95
Str54041 for 1802C Monitor...... $12.95

* 1084S Mornersoarp wit Fiyeack TRANsFoRMER: This new CBM
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* CD32 Mornersoaro: Contains all chips(Lisa, Alice, Paula,
68020-16, ADV101) except the 512K memories .. $89.95
With all memory ... $109.95,

* Commopore 1976 Scientiric Catcutator: Save a piece of the
past. Brand new with charger and manual $8.95

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February/March1997

COMMODORE WORLD

COMMODORE TRIVIA

by Jim Brain

Welcome to another edition of Commodore
Trivia. As many of you may know, these trivia
questions and answers have been donated by

me to the Commodore community at
Unlike other articles in Commodore World,
these trivia questions have been placed in the
public domain, | ask only that the trivia
questions remain intact and unchanged, and

that my name and address appear somewhere
So users can contact me, The trivia is also used

Jim Brain
Brain Innovations, Inc.
10710 Bruhn Ave
Bennington, NE 68007
j.brain @ieee.org

fora contest Lrun on the Internet; contact meat
the included address for more information,
Because curiosity has the best of me, I always
ci
trivia goes. | also welcome new questions—

welcome a note or postcard detailing where the

provided they come with the answers. Enjoy!

COMMODORE TRIVIA #18 QUESTIONS

$120) What is the model number of the assembler/monitor for the KIM-1?
$121) How many LEDs are on the KIM-1?

$

What is the model number of the REC chip used in the REU?

$128) At least two versions of the above chip exist, What is the main physical
diflerence between the versions?

$124) Why couldn't regular Atari(tm) style joysteks be used with the Commodore
Plus/4 series?

$125) What was the firstjoystick model Commodore produced that would function
with the Plus/4 computer line?

$126) How many computer models are included in the Plus/4 line?

$127) In a normal Commodore disk drive Directory Entry, what relative offset
denotes the start of the program name?

$128) How many tracks ina 154 1 or 4040 are normally available for use as storage?

s

) How many bytes comprise a single disk drive directory entry?

$12) Whatisthe model numberof the Commodore dual drivewithatotal capacity
per unit of MB?

$12B) On the drive denoted in $12A, how large could a single sequential file b

$12) At least two version of the Commodore 64C keyboard exist, What is the

difference between them? Extra Credit: Why

$12D) On the Commodore
REU with RamDos?

what area of memory is swapped out when using an

54L-ldrive, What

$12E) Commodore manufactured two different versions of the
is the difference between them?

$12F) How many colors could the Commodore 1520 plotter plot in?

COMMODORE WORLD

$130) The Commodore Plus/4 was referred to as the * Machine

$131) Although the Commodore 16 and 116 were functionally equivalent, what
tivo physical characteristics distinguished one from another?

$1

How many pins are on the Commodore plus/4 expansion port connector?

$133) On which side of the Commodore
place the power switch on?

5 (as it is facing you) did Commodore

$134) How many keys are on a standard Commodore 128 keyboard?

$135) What color are the drive LEDs on the SX64 driv
$136) Trueor False? TheCommodore 64and VIC-20 keyboardsarcinterchangeable,

$137) Ona 1526/MPS 802 printer, how many redefinable characters were available
for use per line of text?

$138) To set up a redefinable character on the MPS 802/

6 printer, what
secondary address must be opened?

$139) How many pinsarein each Euro-DIN plug used on the Plus/4-C16 joysticks?

$13A) Howmany pinsareonaregular Commodore VIC-20/C64 joystick connector?

$13B) What BASIC command is used to change from C128 mode to C64 mode on

acl

$13C) What were the four integrated programs included in the infamous “341”

software in the Plus/4?

$13D) Which Commodore serial printer(s) had a small switch that allowed it to be
addressed as either device 4 or device 5?

$136) How many addressable registers does the Commodore VIC-ILIC have?

$13F) On a Commodore PET machine, what output appears on the screen after
typing in SAVE

Issue 19

COMMODORE TRIVIA #17 ANSWERS

$100)

$101)

$102)
$103)

$104)

$105)

$106)

$107)

$108)
$109)
$10A)
$10B)

$10C)

$10D)

S10E)

23 keys. The keypad has room for 24, but onespotistaken by
puts the system into single-step mode. Interestingly, some pictures have
the switch on the upper left, some on the upper right.

GO (Go) Executes an instruction and displays the address of next, ST
(Stop) Stops execution of program and return control to monitor, RS
(Reset), AD (Address) Address entry mode, DA (Data) Data entry mode,
PC (Program Counter) Displays and restores program counter to
inPCLand PCH, + (Increment) Increments theaddress without changing
the entry mode.

The KIM-4.

1 guess I should have stipulated that this isa bitmap. ASCH just has a few
limitations. Anyway, the correct bytes to send are: 255, 193, 193, 255,
You got these by assigning each bit in a column a value, and adding 128
to the result for each column.

Characterresolution:80 chars, or 10 chars/inch (epi). Graphiesresolution:
480 dots, or 60 dots/inch (dpi).

‘The two commands read in data from a disk sector, However, the U1
command always reads a full sector (255 bytes), The B-R command reads
the number of bytes specified in the first byte of the sector. Ifthe first byte
isa 15, B-R will read 15 bytes from the sector. (From the 1581 manual)

‘This command has been traditionally used to reset Commodore drives,
including the CBM 1541, However, some early versions of the Drive DOS
ly handle this command, In these versions, the drive and
{to complete the command transaction successfully, and
a hung machine resulted. Commodore later fixed this
problem. If U: seems to not work on your drive, try U; instead.

The function, called SETLDA and residing at $C100, turns on the drive
active LED for the current drive. The routine loads the current drive from
$7F and sets bit 3 of DSKCNT ($1000).

296 files, Note that it is not a multiple of 144.
COPYRIGHT CBM 86
USR.

Ifone depresses the right mouse button during power-up, the 1351 will
behave just like a joystick.

Each register holds the same type of information, just fora separate axis,
so we will describe just one register:

Bit: Function

7 Don't care

6-1 Mouse axis position mod 64.

0 Noise Bit. (check this bit to see whether mouse has moved)

SFB-SFE (251-254),
as much as they wei

am not sure these were “reserved” for programmers
just not utilized by the CBM programmers.

Black

White

Red

Cyan (Light Blue-Green)
Parple

Green

Blue

Yellow

Orange

Brown

Light Red

Dark Gray (Gray 1)
Medium Grey (Gray 2)
Light Green

Light Blue
Light Gray (Gray 3)

February/March1997

$10F) 5, from $293-$297 (6:

$110)

su)

$112)

$113)

$14)
$115)
$116)

$117)

S118)

$119)
$11A)

SIIB)
SIC)

$11D)

SUE)
SIF)

3). The register contents:

$293 6551 Control Register

4 6551 Command Register

5-6 6551 User Defined Baud Rate value,
6551 Status Register

ESCOM recently purchased the liquidationsof Commodore Amiga,GMT
jectronics had earlier purcased the IC fabrication division called
Commodore Semiconductor Group (CSG),

One must remember that the 1571 DOS was a descendant of the 1540
DOS, which wasin turn a descendant of the earlier dual drive IEEE drives,
To make the 1572, Commodore engineers tried to re-introduce the di
drive code that had been removed when Commodore started producing
single disk drives. Unfortunately, the re-introduction did not ultimately
succeed,

TheCommodoreB-128 line. Story hasit that the B-128 User's Group sued
Commodore because they claimed to support the B-128 after CBM had
closed down production of the B series, The suit demanded that all
materials needed in manufacturing and supporting the machine was to
be handed over to the User's Group, This included masks of the ICs,
source code for BASIC and DOS, and schematics.

The following bytes would be sent to the printer: 142, 145, 145, 128, 252,
212, 168, 128, 159, 134, 1

‘he Commodore C65 has stereo output,

The CS

8CO2, running at 3.54 MHz,

Some versions of the prototype C65 are referred to as the Commodore
6ADX,

None. Thisisinteresting, as Commodore started with two CPUs per drive
a 8050, etc), went to 1 (1540, etc.), and finally cost reduced the CPU
completely out of the drive electror

Elmer (Elmer Fudd),
Basie v10.0,

2 joystick ports,

1 power supply port,

L expansion port,

1 serial port,

Luser port,

2 audio ports,

1 RGB video port,

1 RF output port,

1 composite video port,

1 high speed disk drive port,
1 RAM expansion connector (ander unit behind cover).

13 ports in all, (12 if you discount the PS plug).
Acassette port.

Depending on whether you count the “help” key asa function, there are
7 or 8 physical keys, which provide F1-I'14 plus help.

ernal DOS in the C65 was based on DOS 2.7, found on the CBM
Drive. This DOS was adapted to the Commodore 65 by Dennis

80x25,

The systems powers up with a multicolored banner on the upper left
portion of the screen. It has 6 lines of decreasing lengths in red, orange,
yellow, green, light blue, and purple.

9

COMMODORE WORLD

geoFile

A Dynamic Partner
for GEOS Users

Database. Just saying the wordisenough to incite
negative reactions in people around you, Sort of
like saying Tax Audit in the springtime. While
word processing and graphics programs enjoy
huge popularity, other productivity programs,
like databases, are shunned by a majority of
computer users. Maybe itis because people think
they don’t understand databases, or maybe it's
dueto the lengthy timeit takes toset upadatabase.
Whatever the reason, this article will hopefully
take some of the mystery out of using geoFile and

show how a database can help or;
and save time.

anize your life

A Little History

Thave been using GEOS on my C-64 for 9 years. |
became interested with the release of geoPublish
and the freedom it allowed in laying out pages of
text and graphics. The system integration has
made me a loyal GEOS user.

I faithfully bought all of the packages as they
came out, but found that I really only used
geoWrite, geoPublish, and geoPaint regularly. |
found the lack of ifthen’ ability in geoCale a big
. Geobile provided me with an easy
method of cataloging my record collection, but
this was really the only purpose I could find for it
at the time.

My collection of fonts and graphics grew and
grew, and when read about geoPrint (banners,

drawba

greeting cards, posters), by Roger Lawhorn, [just
had to have it. A nifty looking program, called
geoLabel, came with geoPrint, but the paper feed
mechanism on my Star printer was such that
couldn't find labels to print on. GeoLabel sat

COMMODORE WORLD

by Bruce Thomas

while I used another program that had very
limited font and graphic options, forcing me to
bels as individual files on disk.

When I got an Epson compatible printer the
first thing I did was try geo abel. Eureka! Great
labels the easy GEOS way. Now Ineeded a way to
storemy information. GeoFilecameto the rescue.

Terms and a Useful Example
GeoFileis what like to calla dynamic database—
it doesn’t restrict you to your initial layout. f

of the previously mentioned fear of databases
comes from the effort required to set up the
records and fields initially. No, no. Not vinyl
records or grain fields, Records, as in groups of
information pertaining to a particular subject.

Fields, as in pieces of information in each record,

Fora database to be useful everything must be
organized in a logical manner. Each entry in the
database is a record. Each piece of each record is
a field. Each record in the database has the same
number of fields in it—even if some of the fields
are blank. To makea database useable it has tobe
organized in a logical manner, making searches

for information a relatively easy task.
a look at a very large database that
almost everyonehasused—thephonebook. When

Let's tal

the phonebook wasset up, the phone company had
to decide on certain parameters, just as you would
setting up your database, How many columns on a
page? How many characters allowed for sumames?
How many for first names, How many in the address
field? The phone number being the easiest to
determine. Name, Addressand Phone Numberare
each fieldsina person’s record in the phone book.

10

h record must also be presented in thesame
order. This is decided by your choice of the sort
fieldandis very important. In the phone book we
use the surname as the sort field. We know our
friends by name so that is the logical choice to
sort by. In your database you can choose
whichever field is appropriate depending on the
information you are storing. How useful would
your phone book be ifthe phone number was the
sort field? What ifeach entry in the phone book
was ina different order? How would we find
anyone?

Being able to retrieve information from your
database is critical. If you can't find a particular
entry, the database isn’t worth anything, Look at
the top of each page in the phone book and you
have narrowed your search to what is between
the headers, The same applies to databases (1
think I see fewer furrowed brows and less
worried looks).

Creating our first Database File

Just like the phone company, we have to make
some decisions prior to setting up ourdatab:
or do we? Say we are going to store names and
addresses of friends and family. With most
es we must decide how many fields weare
hen we have to decide how many

“—

databs
going to need,
characters in each field (why did I geta computer
if | have to count the length of names and
addresses?). These are reasons people don't like

static databases. Once you set your fields and
sizes they may as well be set in stone. GeoFile,
being a dynamic database, is much easier to
work with,

Issue 19

Boot GEOS andactivate geoFile. Choose ‘Create
New Document’ and enter ‘AddressBook’ as a
name. Now you will be presented with the Form
Page and you can setup your fields the easy GEOS
way—pointandclick. Youdon’thave to decide
how many fields or how many characters at
this time.

For starters, we will create fields for last name,
first name, address, city, state/prov, country,
and zip/postalcode. Set the last name field as
your sort field (seé Chapter 4 of the manual for
creating and naming fields and setting the sort
field), You will notice that you can place the fields
anywhere on thescreen (each record can be as big,
as an 8.5 by 11 inch page of paper).
hold up to 64 fieldsin each record and up to 3000
records in each file. You could store everything
you know about each of your friends and
acquaintances here and not run out of room.
Fields can also be designated as text, number, or
comment by highlighting the field and choosing
the ‘type’ menu in ‘Form Design’ mode,

Entering your Friends & Family
When your form is laid out the way you want,
time to enter some information. Choose ‘Dat:
Entry’ under the ‘Options’ menu and start typin;
in some names and addresses (use real friends
and this will be a good start), we will need atleast
10. Forour demonstration make one ofthe entries
this one (your long-lost Uncle):

Johnson

James

115 Nobody Home Lane
Saskatoon

askatchewan

Canada
R3G 5Y6

Yes, completely fictitious and no resemblance
toany person living or dead isintended. Youmay
find that you have to adjust some of your fields to
fit this in. While this can be fatal with a static
database (especially if you have entered 30 or 40
friendsalready)itisnota problem withadynamic
database. Go back to the form design page and
point and click to resize as required.

OK, we have entered at least ten names and
addresses. What about phone numbers? You
know what to do. Forms Design and Point and
Click to add a new field. This is much easier than

February/March1997

starting from scratch again witha Static Database.
Enter Uncle James’ Phone Number as 436-8915.

Ifyou wish to look through your Address Book
you may do so by clicking on either of the two
arrows at the top of the page. These will scan
forwards or backwards through your file and
present your data to you, sorted according to
yourchosen sort field. Don’t like the way it looks?
Go back and choose a different sort field or re-
arrange the fields on the page.

You can also create up to 15 different layouts
by choosing ‘change layout'in the file’ menu (see
Pg 4-13 in the ual). These sub-layouts allow
you toviewselected portions of them:
and allow for many printout variations.

Finding Saska-where?

Exactly. This is where the search capabilities are
required. You know your long lost uncle moved
d starts with
"tremember where. Remember

sounds funny

to some place t
an‘S' butyou
our phone book and the headersat thetop ofeach
page? GeoFile can narrow your search in this
nner as well.

ntera Search form by choosing ‘create search
form’ in the ‘Form’ menu and enter ‘S*’ in the
‘State/Prov’ field. Click on OK at the top of the
page. Now click on either of the two Face Icons at
the top of the page (these are not identified in any
of the pictures in the manual and only function
search form). The left facing one
will search back through your data, the right
facing searches ahead, and both will wraparound
at the end of the file. Ifno match is found geoFile
informs you with a beep and redraws the entry
you were looking at prior to searching.

Onceanentryisfound that matchesyoursearch
criteria geoFile stopsand showsittoyou (just like
the phone book). If it is South Dakota instead of
Saskatchewan just click on the i
Continue clicking until you find your long lost
uncle's address.

Maybe you remembered his name was Johnson,
Or maybe it was Johnston, or Johnstone, Johnsen,
or Johnsson, Enter Joh* as your search criteria and
anymatchingrecordswill berecalled. Friends whose
ne starts with M’ and ends with ‘n’ can be found
by entering ‘M*n' on your search form,

m:

Multiple Searches & Conditionals

Now we want to do something else with our
search. Back to the search form and enter 4* in
the phone number field. Click OK. Click the
left arrow to get off Uncle James’ entry and
then click the Left Face. Depending on who
else is in your database you should end up
looking at Uncle James again. This search w
forsomeone ina place starting with‘S'(Ididn’t

‘as

W

say delete that) whose phone number starts
witha 4.

So far, our searches have used geoFile Wild
Cards. The asterisk ‘*’ means substitute any
number of characters here. The question mark"?"
means substitute one character here, One other
wild card is the exclamation mark ‘!’, This lets
geoFile search for asterisks (!*), question marks
nd even exclamation marks (1!) ifyou enter
it into a search form. As you noticed, you can
search for items in any or all of your fields.

GeoFile also supports conditional searches. If
you have entered a field for year of birth you
could search for'<1979' to find who people who
are over 18. Options include greater than ‘>’, less
than ‘<’, less than or equal to‘<=", greater than or
equal to’>='and not equal ‘<>’. These can also be
combined with And ‘&’ or Or'%’, Say you want to
find all bowlers whose best score is greater than
180 and less than 250: enter ‘>180&<250’ in top
score field on your search form. The possibilities
are limitless.

The items you search for can be utilized in
many ways. You can choose to create Text or
geoMerge scraps of all your forms, or just the
ones you searched for, GeoFile also has terrific
“Search & Replace’ and printing options.

Integrating geoFile

Thisisthereason I stilluse GEOS—the integrated
nature of all the applications. GeoLabel gave me
reason to set up an addressbook file with geoFil
My address book contains fields for Christma
Cards, Family Newsletters, and the Computer
Club. When itis time to do a mailing for any of
these items I just search the database and create
a Merge Scrap of the searched for items. This
Merge Scrap can then be easily loaded into
geoLabel and I have great looking labels in no
time flat, Lots of Font selection, Graphic where |
want it, and no need for hundreds of label files
with one address in each,

Each user will have a different reason to use
geoFile: from cataloging records (yes, vinyl ones
thistime), to crops planted in that field by the old
barn, to documenting how many Steven King

novels you own. Once you start using a database
you will wonder how you got along without one,

The next time you pick up your phone book
and look up a number, remember that you are
usinga database. Youare probably pretty good at
it, too. GeoFile, with its dynamic personality a
thorough search capabilities, i
computerized database to work with. You also
might find it helps you keep all of your records
organized in case that tax auditor comes around
in the spring.

is

9

COMMODORE WORLD

First
in a series
of three articles

by

Forthe Commodore community, 1996 wasay
ofdelightand disma
the anticipated rele:
were dismayed to discover how vulnerable we
are. When CBM left us, most Commodore users
shrugged and murmured, “Who needs then
ButasCMD'sproduction lagged behindschedule,
[heard erioususersvoicinggraveconcern, What
happens if CMD fails? If they leave us, who will
we turn to for support?

ear

rhe delight, o

course, Was
¢ of the SuperCPU, but we

It occured to me that we might try putting the
shoe on the other foot! Imagine coming home
everynight, knowingthat your livelihood depends
upon doing business with stubborn computer

“nuts” like us... we who daily declare our

independence by defying the currents of popular
computer wisdom Wouldn't that send you into
a sound slumber!

Increasingly, | came to believe that CMD
depends upon us as much as we depend upon
them. We are together linked in a kind of
symbiotic relationship. If both of us do our jobs
well, then everybody wins! If either of us, not
both, but if just one of us fails to fulfill our

responsibilities, then everyone loses!
‘This realization drove me to begin writing and
to explore the relationship between CMD and

the Commodore community, particularly in light
ofrecent revolutionary developments. After [had
articles, | called CMD to
ask their advice, With so many user newsletters

finished a series of thr

in the land, who might be willing to publish these
in order that | might reach the widest audience. I

“We

was amazed to hear them say,

COMMODORE WORLD

K. Dale Sidebottom

Commodore users
seem to fall into two
groups

those who love the
Commodore as CBM
left it,
and those who
probably would have

left it if not for CMD.
—K.D.S.—

Why the surprise? I have always felt that CW.
tended to be rather technical, while this series
clearly targets the heart, more than the head. Yes,
these articles contain useful information, but

more important to me is the introduction of new
ideas.

Meanwhile, | want toassure you that CMD has.
had no direct influence on this discourse. If you
listen closely, you will hear the spirit of stubborn.
That will
be your best validation of its authenticity.
al thanks to CW for bringing
this series to you. Most ofall, I want to thank you
for being there. It is your support, really, that
makes all the excitment possible, and for that I

independence throughout these pas

Iwant togive spe

am grateful. Thanks for listening!

12

ommodore’s

istributor

Part

My Commodore reminds me of Tombstone,
Arizona, in the days of Wyatt Earp; it's just too
tough todie! CBM tried to killit four or five times,
but high demand always forced them to put it
back into production, until the day they mis-
managed to kill themselves.

Meanwhile, we have seen 16-bit and 32-bit
computers come and go in popularity, Now the
Pentium chip is all the
addressing at 100 megahertz, while our beloved
8-bitter still strolls along at 1 or 2 megahertz
(unless you are the lucky owner ofa SuperCPU)!
In spite of all this, Commodore enthusiasts are
still hanging tough! Or are the

Let’s be honest! Our ranks seem thinner than

lowing 64-bit

they were. Many Commodore groups that were

active five yea
which sold our products for years no longer

rs ago are now history, Companies

Author's Note

Mark Fellows created JiffyDOS and began to market
itin 1986 as Fellows, Inc, The following year, he joined
with Charles A. Christianson to found Creative Micro
Designs, Inc. (CMD) in order to expand and to produce
new products,

Commodore once referred to Commodore Business
Machines, Inc. (CBM). Since they went bankrupt, the
word “Commodore,” as used in this article, never refers
to the Commodore business, It always refers to the
Commodore 64 and 128 in their various forms or to the
community of Commodore enthusiasts throughout
America and around the world.

ChAD isa trademark of

Creative Micro Designs, Inc.

Issue 19

supply us. Repair parts are becoming more and
more difficult to locate. Are you wondering how
we will continue when the parts disappear
forever?

CMD has just finished the SuperCPU for the
64, Yet, at the moment of our greatest triumph,
we seem to be uncomfortably “on edge.” Lam
increasingly concerned about the gloom and

doom creeping into our Comm-adoring
community. Yet, the signs are unmistakeable.

Ina recent issue [#15] of Commodore World,
CMDw
arlie Christianson, CMD's co-founder, sought
to reassure subscribers by directly addressing
their concerns.

You've probably even begun thinking of worst
case scenarios, Is il that they are going to stiff
me like so many previous Commodore
magazines have? Is it that they just don't care?

Are they getting out of the Commodore
markel?...(We] can truthfully answer NO to
all of [these questions]!”"

Can you blame us for being nervous? Many of
us feel like CBM abandoned us. Berkeley
Softworks, EOS, treated usno better,
Itseems that weno sooner help make a company
prosperous than they move onto bigger markets!
Bythistheory, themoresuccessful CMDbecomes,
the quicker they'll leave us. Who can blame us for
feeling a little bit paranoid!

Charlie's From the Editor” speaks tothispoint,
aswell, “We have about a half a dozen people
who have dedicated the last nine years of their

feeling the heat. The issue was late and

eatorsofG!

life to the survival of our beloved C-64 and
C-128 platform. So without laying it on too
thick, let me simply say that our subscribers

need never question our commitment to
Commodore World!”

Meanwhile, some 6
by continual d
SuperCPU, remember reading an article by Pete
Baker first published in COMM-LINK', He had.
sent in a $50 deposit in January toward the
purchase of a 64-accelerator expected in April.
He was still waiting in June. He described his
frustration of waiting for months without a
satisfactory explanation from CMD.

“The thing is, CMD is about the last company
providing any hardware to the 64/128 user, so we
want to support their efforts by buying their stuff.
I can say that I've tried to do so, only to be put off
by CMD for my trouble.”

| empathize with him because | know many

users were getting upset
son the release of the

Commodore enthusiasts questioned why a 64-
accelerator first targeted for February was not
shipped until August! This can test anyone's
patience. But I alsofeela great deal ofempathy for
CMD!

February/March1997

Imagine the whole Commodore world holding
its breath, waiting for YOU to make good on a
promise! The pressure would be ENORMOUS!
And this isn't just any promise either, This one
requires you to resolve some of the most difficult

technological challenges that anybody in
Commodore has ever mastered!

I remember speaking about this to Ch,
back in 1992 when I was preparing an article
for geoVISION magazine. | asked him then
about the possibility of a CMD “turbo
cartridge.” He answered that current

es all had compatibility problems.
CMD would never create such aan accelerator

unless it could be made largely compatible
with existing hardware and software. He left
me with the impression that such a task would
be next to impossible and that it was unlikely
they would ever pursue it.

Fast forward four years, and look around. The
impossible is about to happen! CMD is so very
close and, yet, so far.

Too often we have
seen people leave
their Commodores...
because they could
no longer accept
the uncertainties...
These uncertainties
must end!!!

As Charlie explained to me in July, the
SuperCPU’s were out on the dock ready to be
shipped on three different occasions only to be
pulled back in for further modification, All
ordered SuperCPU'swere, at that moment, sitting
in the warehouse ready to go. Almost! Only one
thing was missing. Mark Fellows, CMD's other
founder, was barricaded in his labratory, laboring
hour after endless hour to perfect the ROM chip
or “brain” needed to complete it!

Now that the SuperCPU is an accomplished
fact, the crisisis overand we ean all breathea sigh
of relief, My SuperCPUis plugged into my 64 and
GEOS glides like “greased lightning.” It seems
like “God's in his heaven, all's right with the
world,” at least, until next time.

Today I find it hard to believe that, for nearly
half its existence, I hardly heard of CMD. Early
on, [becamea geoNut. As I would tell my friends,
“IfGEOS doesn’t do it, neither do I!” Since GEOS
doesn’t need JiffyDOS, I had no contact with
CMD.

13

Everything changed in 1991.CMD introduced
the RAMLink and { was hooked! | was so
impressed by their revolutionary REU that | wrote
anarticle in 1992 which appeared in the Premier
[Jan/93] issue of geoVISION magazine. My faith
in the magazine soured when it only survived
three issues, but my perceptions on CMD proved
propheti

Ifyou hav
turn to page 6 and find a feature story entitled,
ommentary on 1992: CMD Takes Center Stage.”
“By far the mostexciting development .,..in 1992
was the ascendency of Creative Micra Designs
(CMD). This was the year that they pushed the
HardDrive, mastered the RAMLink, and
introduced the new FD drives,

“Once upon atime we depended upon CBM for
hardware and Berkeley for software... But who do
you turn to when you want to ‘push the envelope?’

a copy of this issue in your archives,

When you want to expand the limits of your
computing world, who do you call? [usually call
CMD.”

Since that time, CMD has become
Commodore's Main Distributor. As a computer
friend expressed recently, “It seems like all the
other suppliers are dumping what they have on
their shelves and getting out of the Commodore

business. CMD is about the only place where |
can buy what Ineed.”

| pointed out that the reason they continue to
distribute while others “closeout” is simple. What
they cannot purchase from their suppliers, they
produce! This is especially true in the area of
Commodore compatible hardware,

Take a moment to consider what our
Commodore world was like when CBM left us;
that is when they stopped developing new
products for our 64's. Then think about what we
have now,

For instance, when CBM left us, | had a 1351
mouse with a roller that was never quite round, It
Was so sus

plible to dirt and grime that | had to
clean it continually. Now I use a three-button
mouse from CMD that is so “smart,” it can tell
time! It works great and keeps clean!

When CBM left us, we had a RAM expansion
with amaximum storage capacity of 512 Kilobytes
(k), or halfa Megabyte (MB). Today, by using the
RAMLink, we can have up to 16 MB.

When CBM left, our fastest modem was 2400
bps (bauds per second),

ow several sources
ig that. CMD’s offering

provide modems exceed
is the Turbo232 cartridge which combined with
the SuperCPU allows transmission rates of
01,000 bps.

When CBM lefi us, the largest capacity drive
was the 1581, a 3 1/2" disk drive. It stores 800K
or about 0.8 MB.

COMMODORE WORLD

Unfortunately, CBM didn’t make many of
them; so there weren't enough to go around,
CMD responded by producing the FD-2000 with
a capacity of 1,6 MB. This drive doubles the
ity available on the 1581, much as
the 1571 doubled the capacity of the 1541 driv

By far the most dramatic difference between
thenand nowisthemaximum accessible memory
on a single drive. We have reviewed the 1581
drive andits 800K (0.8 MB) capacity. That wasall
we had.

Since then, several hard drives have been
adapted for the Commodore, but CMD went
even further, They created an innovation called
“CMD native mode” partitions which can vary in
size from 256 blocks (64KB) to 16MB! A
254 of

memory cap;

Commodore can recognize as many

these partitions.

Now imagine formatting your hard drive so
that you can create 254 native mode partitions,
each of which is 16MB in size. Your Commodore
64/128 can now access up to 4.4 gigabytes (GB)
ona single drive!

Ifyou are like me, you are asking, “What's a
gigabyte?”
imply put, a gigabyte is approximately a
billion bytes of memory, Forinstance, my LUCKY
computer club‘is justly proud of its library which
has about 1300 1541 disks, Yet, our library
contains less than one-fourth of a gigabyte of
data, We could increase it by a factor of twenty,
and it could still fit onto one Commodore-
compatible hard drive!

Comparing again the old to the new, CBM's
1581 left uswith amaximum drive capacity equal
to five 1541 disks. Through CMD native mode
partitions ona hard drive, we can now store up to

4.4 gigabytes, which is equal to the combined
,500 1541 disks! Now that is what |

storage of 27
call growth! '

Sofarwe have only discussed hardware. Check
outa CMDad from 1991 or 1 nd you'll find
little software is offered. Today their
advertisements read like “Who's Who in
Commodore Software!

‘They have worked diligently to bring all the
commercially viable software (the really good
stuff] under one roof. For instance, GEOS users
are grateful that CMD could negotiate with
Berkeley to keep GEOS alive, Thus, a company
which was once principally hardwa

now offers the best Commodore softwa:

How about communications? CMD publishes
Commodore World which is the only national
glossy print magazine we have. They also have
taken over the job of SYSOP on GEnie.

Last, but not least, they offer support for those
who need their computer equipment repaired.

COMMODORE WORLD

They may cost a little more, but they know as
much about the inside of your Commodore
any company in America. When all else fails,
send it to CMD!

Someone will likely conclude that this article
was written to endorse CMD. If that opinion
encourages anyone to increase their patronage,
well and good; but it misses the point!

Since I became a Commodore user in 1982, I
have never seen our community take such “body
blows” as it has suffered in the last several years.
We have seen Commodore ma
shouldn't have, We suffered the death ofa parent
(CBM). We watched the heirs, Escom AG of.
Germany, distain the the 8-bit technology which
we hold so dearly and they hold so casually! Such
disappointments cut deeply.

Thankfully, even the darkest clouds can carry
a silver lining. For instance, LOADSTAR still
produces a super disk magazine, GEOS users
Maurice — Randall,

appreciate whose

geoprogramming is a godsend. 1 know you
think of others.

Sing a song of Commodore,
Filled full of hearty praise,
Then toast the silly seers who said
Its seen the final days.

Let those who love the 64
Enjoy its lengthy run,

For in these days of Commodore
The best is yet to come!
—-K.0.S.—

Nevertheless, the sad events of the recent past
have spawned a sense of calamity and
apprehension within many, and these are not the
huilding blocks of a strong computing family! Too
often we have seen people leave their
Commodores, not because they w cited by
another platform, but because they could no
longer accept the uncertainties of this one!

These uncertainties must endll! A clear
message must echo in ever corner ofourcomputer
world that, with the development of the
SuperCPU, the Commodore has turned an
important corner. The pendulum which has been
swinging the wrong way for years is now moving
inour direction. The kind ofsupport that we once
sought from CBM can now be found at CMD!
story close to home that illustrates
my point. Ww, Roger Lawhorn, is a
programmer. He has written programs like
GEOSIDPLAYER and COLOR GeoPrint which
are probably used in every “Commodore” country
on the planet, When he began programming in
MS-DOS for financial reasons, he never lost his
love for Commodore.

There is

Ay son-in-

14

Recently, when I demonstrated my SuperCPU
for him, he wanted to begin Commodore
programming immediately! He soon sold his 486
computer so he could purchase a SuperCPU and
a used CMD HardDrive. As a programmer, he
can see all kinds of new po:

We still need to remember that the people at
CMD are people and, therefore, not perfect. Yes,
they could have done a better job of explaining to
us why there were so many delays on the
SuperCPU. But Pete Baker will be the first to tell
you that it was definitely worth the wait!

Let's also give credit where credit is due, We
know our Commodores are too tough to die.
CMD appears to have the savvy to share that
vision, as well as the wisdom to capitalize on it.
For the last nine years, they have intelligently
sought to fill the gaps and plug the holes in the
good ship Commodore, and weshould thank them,

You should also recognize that with the
completion of the SuperCPU, CMD has really
“come of age!” You'll never get the modest folks
of East Longmeadow to admit it, but they have
proven themselves capable of doing anything
that they absolutely, resolutely set their minds to
accomplishing!

What can we expect in the future? If my
perceptionsofCMDin 19 ate, perhaps
you will allow me tosharemy perceptions for 1996.
Isee a company that is generally pleased with their
position in the industry and content to continue
their current direction for the foreseeable future, If
the bad news is that CMD may, indeed, be a
company “on the move,” the good news is that they
plantotakeusrightalong with them. Itpromises to
be an extraordinary ride!

ities!

2 were:

Now that the SuperCPU's are flying out the
door, what might CMD be planning for an
encore? Read all about it in part 2,
“Commodore's Major Developer.”

'COMM-LINK is the newsletter for HACC, Hub
Area Commodore Club. Contact them through Rita
Smith, 743 Jewel Ave., Yuba City CA 95991.

®LUCKY is the Louisville Users of Commodore
of Kentucky, Inc., P.O, Box 9551, Louisville KY
40209-0551. E-Mail them at 3050@iglou.com,

SHard drives exceeding 2GB must be specially
ordered from CMD, P. O. Box 646, East
Longmeadow MA 01028, or you can call 1-800-
638-3263

Permission is given to any Commodore
publication to reproduce this article in its original
form, Any changes must be okayed by the author.

Write to K. Dale Sidebottom, 1001 Estate Circle,
Georgetown IN 47122-9002, call (812) 951-3588,
or E-mail luckykds@ otherside.com.

Issue 19

eas

eesneeeecece

‘64 Terminal
CBM 1660 (300 baud modem)
CBM Datasette (1530)
Chomp

Computer Olympics
Computer Space Adventures
Easy Guide to Your C-64
Easy Script User Guide
Instant Activities for C-64

PET Fun and Games

The President Is Missing

The Three Stooges V2

1001 Things to do w/ C-64
Amtech (71) wiout PS (Parts Only)
BP Pro Joystick

Commodore 64 Fun & Games
Commodore 64 Games
Computer Aided Design 128
Computes 1st Book/C64 Games
Dictionary of Computer Terms
How to Program your C-64
Acrojat

Airborne Ranger

Alion

Algo-blaster (Algebra)

Apollo 18

Arcade It

‘Ardok the Barbarian

Artic Fox

Baker St. Detective
Battletech

Bits, Ploces & Cluos

Black Gold

Bluo Angols

Bubblo Bobble

Bubble Ghost

Captain Commando Challenge
Cauldron

Cave Fighter

Cave of the Word Wizard

Cort. lib. for Cert. Maker
Championship Golf

Clowning Around
Concentration

Death Bringer

Defender of the Crown
Dream House

Early Learning Friends

F-15 Strike Eagle

Fast Tracks

Folony

Foud

Frogger

Fun House

Galaxy

GFL Championship Football
Gauntlet

Ghostbusters

Grand Prix Circuit

Guerilla

Hangman Roulette

Hardball

Heartland

Highland Games

High Roller

Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Hole in One Golt

Jeopardy

Jeopardy (Junior Edition)
Jordan vs. Bird

Karate Chop

Kings of the Beach

CMD”

Warehouse Sale

Surplus Inventory Must Go by June 30, 1997

Kung Fu ll, Sticks of Death
Land, Sea & Air Adventures
Lazarian (Cartridge)
Lords of Conquest
Main Frame
Manual - C1280, C-64, 64-C
Manual - 1541, 44-1, 1571, 1581
Master Type (Cartridge)
Mean Streets
Mini Putt
Minit Man
Monday Night Football
# Monopoly
# Move Maker
# Mult/Division Grades 3-8
# Murder by the Dozen
* # Out Run
a
#
0

asenee

Pac Man
Pathwords
Porsonal Publisher (Geos 1.2)
# Pinball Construction Kit
# Police Cadet
4 Powerplay Hockay - USA vs. USSR
# Predator
# Presidential Campaign
# Print Powor
# Pro Boxing
# Q-Bopper

Vv Qix

# Rack’em

# Rastan

# Realm of Impossibility
# Renegade

# Risk

# Roadwars

# RoboCop

# Scrabble

4 Sorvo and Volley
\ Sky Fox

\ Snow Strike

W Sorry!

# Space Adventures
# Speedball

# Spelling Grade 8
# Starbase Defense
# Stationfall

# Super Huey

# Swift Paint

# Take Down

# Tost Drive

# Tetris

4 Zodiac

# The Last Ninja

# The Artist

# The Home Banker
4 Tho Home Manager
# Tho Manager

\ Thud Ridge

# Timo Bound

4 Timo to Dio

\ Total Eclipse

# Top 20 Solid Gold
\ War in Middle Earth
# Wheel of Fortune
# Word Writer

# Zenji
# Zodiac
# Zork!

Saweb pas areas sa pepew

Abacus - Anatomy of the 1541

Abacus - C128 Basic Trng. Guide
Abacus - C128 C.A.D.

‘Abacus - Ideas for use on C64

+
+4
+y
+N

+ Abacus - Science & Eng./64
Y Abacus - Tricks and Tips C-64
# Basic Explorer

# Basic for Beginners

# Data Manager 2

# Delta Drawing Cartridge

# Expeditions (Edu.)

# Floxidraw

# Flight Simulator I! (Disk/Map)
# Graphics Master

# Panorama 64 (Jystk Drawing)
# Paperback Writer

# Paperback Planner

# Paperback Filer

# Printed Word & Cale

# Swift Cale

4 Delta Drawing (Edu)

ESC Coma

< 1850 CBM Mouse
< #1841 Disk Drive (Parts Only)
t # 1541/71 Drive Alignment
+ # 1571 Service Manual

\ Atomino

1 Ballistix
4 Bank Stroot Writer
Blood Money
# Business Card Maker
4 Button & Badge Maker
4 CadPak 64
# Calc & Graph
# Calenders and Stationary
# Computes Kids & the C128
# Computes C-64/128 Collection
# Computes ML for Beginners 128
# Computes Prog’s Guide 128
4 Currah Spooch 64 Cart
\ Dr.T's Midi Libr, (4 OP)
\ Dr.T's Midi Librn, (CZ Rider)
V Dr-T’s Midi Libro. (OX Heaven)
4 Epyx Fastload Cartridge
# FSD-2 no PS. (For Parts Only)
# GeoBASIC
# Hesware- Graphics Basic
8
#
y

NRE ea

Hesware- Heskitéd (Prg. Util)
Murder by the Dozen

Main Frame

Menaco

Navy Seal

# News Maker 128
# Newsroom

# Pals Around Town (Sesame St)
# Pirates

\_ Rings of Medusa
\_ Skate or Die

# Super 81 Utilities
4

4

)

4

4

#

<
!

t
t
t
4

Epyx Fastload Cartridge
The Otficial Guide C-128 (SAMs)
Voice Command Module by Eng
Warp Speed Cart.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Your Commodore 128

SS comm

<\ 1351 CBM Mouse

<\ 1571 Drive Head Assembly
# ADAD. - Hilsfar

# AD&D. - Curse Azure Bone
# Aprotek Minimodem C (1200)
# BardsTale ll-Destiny Knight

# BCD 5,25 (1541 Clone)
“

“

#

v

HAAR Eee acege S

CadPak 128

Fleet System 2

Jane 128

Mach 128 Cartridge
# Ultima IV

February/March1997

Lecend

(#) used (V) new (*) Game

(t) Productivity 64 (A) Productivity
128 (<) Misc. H'ware (!) Drive
(+) Book (*) Vic 20. (0) C= Printer
(%) Centronics Printer

(@) Printer Interface

EES2> oom

# C64 Prog's Rel, Guide

# CBM 1526, MPS-801/803
# Fleet System 4

# Flight Simulator II

# Koala Pad (Pad Only)

# Loadstar Iss, 1-15

4 Word Writor 6

5.

‘Amtech RF512C (71 clone)w/ PS

Edumate Light Pen w/ Disk

Enhancer 2000 w/ PS (41 Clone)

Epson FX-85

Laser 190E (Epson 9 Pin)

MPS-1000 w/out Tractor

Print Shop:

Star SG 10C or NX 10/106

Sylvia Porter's Personal

Finance 64/128

Sylvia Porter's Personal

Finance 128

Toy Shop (Paper Model Maker)

Where in the USA is Carmen
SanDiego

Xotoc Super Graphics

HERES IKs Ieee

<\ 50-5.25"DSDD Disks $19.00
<V 25-5.25" DSDD Disks in
Storage Case $12.00

1670 modem (1200 baud) $14.00
Boca 14.4 modem w/ SL$129.00
FSD-2 Drive (1541) w/ PS $50.00
Hearsay 1000 (Complete) $40,00

Icontroller by Suncom $19.95,
Koala Pad (Complete) $50.00

$40.00
Okimate 20 $40.00
Star NX-1000 $65.00

Supra 2400 modem w/ SL $59.00

SwiftLink-232 Cartridge $29.00
\ Syquost 270 MB Int. Removable
Drive w/ Gartridgo (wew) $225.00
TaxPorfoct! 28 (mu wreust) $49.00
<# Vic Switch Mulitplexor $75.00

y
4
te
<4
<\
<#
0 # Okimate 10
oF
oe
#
v

SING

Minimum total order $20.00, No product will be
held awaiting check/MO. We suggest payment
by major Crodit Card (MC/Visw/Disc/Amox),
Allitems have boon tested and are quarranteed
to work upon dolivory unloss marked as parts
only. CMD will warranty above morchandise for
10 days. Defects may be returned for
replacement or merchandise credit only with
prior authorization, No Refunds.

‘Shipping Cont. US only:Printers $10.00; Drives
$8.50; Monitors $20.00, All other products will
be shipped based on the shipping chart found
fn our main ad olsewhoro in this magazine,

COMMODORE WORLD

Graphic Interpretation

All too many times you have probably
heard the old proverb that “there is safety
in numbers”. Yet for as antiquated as it
may be, that wisdom still holds true
today—for the GEOS user’s boot disks!

I goes without saying that your Graphic
Environment Operating System
completely depends on the perfect health
of your system disks’ boot files.
Conventional file copiers cannot produce
working duplicates of the boot files because
even if the disk’s copy protection is broken,
the kernel file must reside on the backup
disk in the exact position as it did on the
original disk, GEOS uses track and sector
loading proceduri
loading. With the ever-increasing number
of software and hardware products for the
GEOS user comes greater demand on the
user’s boot disks—thus the need for a
program to back these disks up. | would
like to relate how T had to follow what
could be called the “Maverick maze.” and
how Creative Micro Designs*
geoMakeBoot opened the door to effective,
time efficient boot disk archiving.

I quickly learned the value of my boot
disks, for within a month after purchasing
my original Commodore 64, the GEOS 1.3
system disk became magnetized because 1
foolishly placed them too near a huge
supply of static electricity—namely, the
front of my monitor. The moment that |
realized what happened (when mysterious

COMMODORE WORLD

by Pawel Sullivan

<&

GEOS BOOT DISKS MADE EASY

looking characters appeared on a printout
instead of the report | needed) | quickly
went and purchased GEOS 2.0, and
searched diligently for a boot disk bi
creator. QuantumLink offered on
file for 1581 users, but it meant nothing to
me as I did not yet own a 1581.

I then discovered the Maverick, a
complex utility system by Kracker Jax
software. Though it boasted of such tools
as sector map editors and nybblers, the
primary feature I desired was the “Geo-
boot” from its GEOS tool kit. Initially, my
needs were simple: I only wanted GEOS
64 backups for my 1541s. But, like any
aspiring Commodore user, | soon upgraded
my system to a C-128, GEOS 128. two
1581°s and a 1750 RAM expander,

16

The Maverick’s limitations and my
limited patience began to show once 1
tried to make backups of the GEOS 128
system disks for my 1581s. The C-128's
capability to autoboot disks was not
working on the 1581 Maverick boot disk.
When testing the new boot disk
immediately after creating it, a screen
prompt appeared that asked fora disk with
DeskTop 2.0 or higher,

Once DeskTop and the input files were
added to the new disk, the system would
freeze during the boot process. Disk
validation didn’t work, removing the much
needed auto exec files Autoclock and
Quikstash didn’t work, and the Maverick
manual only mentions that its Track and
Sector Editor should be used to allocate
Track | Sector 0 after validating. This was
extremely confusing for me, and I never
did figure out exactly how the Track and
Sector Editor was supposed to allocate
anything, much less specific tracks and
sectors,

After hours of trying, I did manage to
figure out how to make the Maverick
backup complete the boot process: no files
could be copied to the disk space right
after the boot file; that is, DeskTop 128
Page 1, Position 2. That was no problem
until | copied a file to the disk—because
that needed open space would always be
the first space copied to due to its location
on the DeskTop. (GEOS always copies

Issue 19

files to open areas on DeskTop pages in
numerical order: first on page Lopeni
then page 2, etc.) Unless that copied
was moved to another space, the boot disk
would not function properly. Worse yet,
the most recent edition of Maverick that I
have seen, version 5, makes no mention of
CMD’'s HD series hard drives or RAMLink
in its user manua
compatibility with the
hardware.

Here is where geoMakeBoot made life
much easier for me, and can for you!
Compatibility with all GEOS supported
drives is one outstanding feature of this
utility. The established 1541 and 1541-1,
1571 and 1581 drives are a given, but
geoMakeBoot surpasses the Maverick
utility by its ability to support the CMD
RamDrives and Hard Drives, Given its
own partition, GEOS can now boot in a
fraction of the time without using any
floppy disks at all. Another important
feature; geoMakeBoot is very user-
friendly,

Several brief steps will have your backup
boot disk ready to go,

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First, power up your system and format
the disk that you wish to boot from. If you
own ahard drive or RAMLink, just choose
an existing 1581 partition—no need to
format. Sorry, 1764 and 1750 RAM
expanders don’t count, as they lack a
backup power supply.

The second step is to copy the GEOS/
GEOS 128 file from geoMakeBoot to the
newly formatted disk or partition, followed
by DeskTop/DeskTop 128, Configure 64/
128 (or RamDrive-compatible configure)
and your input and printer drivers, Don't
forget any auto-exec files too!

Next, copy geoMakeBoot 64 or 128 to
your new boot disk or partition, then place
that disk in the drive that you will be
booting from,

Finally, open that drive with the new
disk in it, and double-click the
geoMakeBoot file icon. The screen will
clear briefly, and when Desktop reappears,
the disk will contain a file called geoBoot/
geoBoot 128, You are now ready to roll,

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Much has been said in this article about
geoMakeBoot’s hard drive and Ram drive
compatibility. It should be noted, however,
that even the most basic C-64/128 systems
can utilize geoMakeBoot. Its system
S 64/128
version 2,0, a 1541 or 1571 drive, and a

requirements are, simply, GE!

mouse or joystick.

Some pointers: You have heard the old
adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure.” CMD gives several ounces
of prevention in geoMakeBoot"s
instructions that will help keep you from
having to troubleshoot pounds of problems:

after the backup process is complete:
remember to create your boot disk on the
device that you intend to boot from, and
have your system configured exactly as it
will be booting GEOS.
GeoMakeBoot will, in short, keep your
GEOS software up and running well into
the next millennia! Until next issue, happy
archiving!

when

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February/March1997

17

Power supplies, cables, ribbons, paper, disks, cartridges, programs
new and used, books, magazines, accessories.

COMMODORE WORLD

Hemotlania

The snow is falling and soon we'll bid adios to
1996. In fact, I bet by the time you read this, we'll
be well into the new year, However, 1996 won't
1 extremely good year
for the Commodore 64, especially within the
Demo Scene. In 1996, we were treated to quite a
variety of demosand even sawa few people return
tothe Demo fold, with the formation ofan all new
group withalot oftalent, ambition, and potential.

Now, let me introduce you to the first ever Zig
Awards, created and judged solely by me (an
extremely avid demo fan). Please know that a lot
of thought has gone into these results, but
remember they are my personal opinions and
not that of my employer's (how many times have
you heard that in 19962), On with the awards...

soon be forgotten, It

Best New Demo Group

The Hot New 1996 Demo Group award easily
goes out to Millenium; consisting of Roy Batt
Waveform, Fungus, Suraklin,
Ambition, talent,and Commodore Loyalty arethree
virtues that easily come to mind after viewing
Millennium, their Mega-Demo introduction tothe
Scene. Roy Batty, Waveform, and Suraklin are no
strangers to the scen

Most of you will easily remember Roy Batty for
Tears (E95, possibly the most memorable of all
demos to be released within 1995. Roy Batty isalso
well known for his contributions to Loadstar
Magazinein the form of music and graphics. Royis
one of the most multi-talented Demo Sceners
around, Histalentsbringtogethertheskillsof three
different individuals—musie, graphic:
it coding!

and new membe

and most

up is Waveform, previously known for his
“Waveness” releases, Waveform is the master
behind the ingenious vectorcodeof*Millennium.”
His coding is unique, innovative
artistic.

Eungusis best known forhis coding skills. He'sa
relativenewbietothescene, lending thisnew group

and even quite

COMMODORE WORLD

by Shor Precdline

D>

1996—THE BEST OF THE BE

with his Commodoreknowledge, dedication, and
ambition. He'sofftoa runnin, nd definitely
worthy of membership in Millennium.

Su nis also relatively new to the Scene. He
has released four independent demos during
1996, and is also the newest member of the
Millenium group. Suraklin alented in the
field of graphics and coding, but most
importantly, he’s ambitious. All four of these
individuals possess a passion for coding, which
for demo enthusiasts equals the promise of a
number of releases both by the individuals of
Millenium and Millenium as a group,

Best Demo
The Best 1996 Demoawardeasil
byElectron. Electron’sonlycurrenth
is Dokken—a mega

y goesoutto Eternal

l tivemember
‘alent within today’s demo
scene, Unfortunately, Eternal was Electron’s only
1996 release. However, after viewing Eternal, I can
easily see why it’s their only release of the year.
Dokken created every single pixel and sound
contained within this incredible multi-page
demo. Eternal contains incredible graphies, hot
music, and aw
fact that this was all the creation of one single
individual, it well deserves the Best Demo of 1996
award. Dokken is now enjoying a much-needed
rest, but I hope that 1997 sees another amazing
masterpiece from this mega-talented artisan.

me routines. Coupled with the

Best Demo Group of 1996

The Best 1996 Demo Group award isa tie between
Style and Forces of Evil. Style is a well-known
constant within the scene. They continually bring
new quality releases to the Commodore
Community. Along with their demo releases, they
also provide us with new demo tools and NTS
fixed demos from the PAL world. Styleis definitely
dedicated to their goal of prolonging the Demo
ScenewithintheNTSCenvironment. Withouttheir
NTSC-fixing skills, the NTSC ci

zens would never

18

havebeenableto enjoy the privilege of viewing four
PAL releases in 1996.

of Evil, more commonly known as FOE,
is also deserving of this award due to the number
i quality of their demo releases in 1996, FOE
rel are always innovative and entertaining.
Iso famous for their Coder’s World demo
tutorials which help promote the demo scene by
introducing the world to the art of demo coding.
Unfortunately, Coder’s World is no longer in
production. I'll always remember FOE as the
group which first introduced me to the infamous
plasma-typepage found ina lot ofthe 1996 demos.
Thanks FOE!

Best 1996 Demo Scene Supporter
The Best 1996 Demo Supporter Award goes out
tothestaffof"Driven.” The Driven crew regularly
supplies the Scene, both NTSC and PAL, with all
the news of the Demo World. Thisis certainly no
easy task, An amazing number of individuals
regularly contributearticles, graphics, and music
to Driven’s electronic ‘zine. While the regular
contributors deserve a huge thank-you, it’s Elwix
and Coolhand who make the whole magazine a
reality by editing the articles and converting all
the text, graphics, and music into an enjoyable
Demo Magazine. I'd especially like to thank
Coolhand for all his many contributions in
1996—for the editing hours, for the many
Thursday night NTSC Demo Conference hours,
forhisconstant inspiration to continue writing
for and about the Demo Scene, and last but not
least, for his tireless dedication to keeping this
Demo Scene alive and kicking.

Year in Review

1996 will long be remembered for the first-of-its-
kind demo competition, known as the 4k Demo
Competition. Whilenot everyone thought of it as
a success, it brought the scene together in a fun
way, resultedin 17releases, and generally brought

Issue 19

the Commodore Scene to life. | hope we'll see a
similar competition in 1997. Last year should
also go downin history due to the first ever world-
wide coverage of the demo scene here in
Commodore World magazine. Itis a pleasure to
be able to write about the Commodore medium
that I've loved for so many years. | hope that this

column, which I've just recently been told will be
aregularfeature of Commodore World Magazine,
has introduced many Commodore users to the
unique world of Commodore Demos, In my
opinion, no other Commodore medium captures

the amazing power of this little brown box's
music, graphics, and programming capabilities
like the Commodore Demo.

1996 will also be remembered for the
introduction of Creative Micro Design’s Super
CPU. The SuperCPU i sset Lo all facets of the
Commodore Community, not just the Demo
Scene. In 1997, | hope we'll see the introduction
of programs written explicitly for this powerful
peripheral. Just imagine the power this can
provide a talented demo coder! I hope someone
has the time, the knowledge, and the will power
to show us a SuperCPU explicit demo. T must
admit, I'm quiteanxiousto seehow demo artisans

make use of all this added power. I'm sure it will
be well worth the wait!

1996 was the year that the Commodore Scene
(demo-orientedand otherwise) virtually exploded
onto the Internet. A large number of Demo
Groups entered the Internet Arena with dazzling
home pages featuring their creations. Coolhand,
of Driven fame, also maintains a very popular
demo site where you can find all the issues of

Driven, all the hot new demo releases, all the e-mail

addresses of the Demo Sceners and a wealth of

demo-related information. (I'd love to know
Coolhand’s secret to finding time for all his many
activities.) Not only has the Demo Scene entered
the Internet World, but the Commodore
Community is now very well represented on the
Net. Jim Brain maintains the master of all
Commodore sites, providing CaBooM!—a
database of all Commodore-related sites available
on the Internet, the Commodore FAQ, and almost
anything Commodore-related thatyou'deverneed.

Another up-and-coming Commodore hiton the
Net is the Commodore Ring—a ci
Commodore Siteswherecachsiteprovidesaspecial
link to whisks users away to the next member of the
Ring. This has been heard time and time again, but
it has to be said again within this tribute to
1996...Commodore is Alive—the Internet & the
IRC 4e-64
Conference Night) are living proof!

Well that pretty much wraps up 1996.
Personally, I'd like to thank all the demo artisans
for making 1996 a truly awesome demo year.
Hmmm...perhaps historians will mark 1996 up
Probably
not, but in my book, that’s how it will best be
remembered. 1996 has set quite a high precedence
for 1997. Somehow, although I know it will be
tough, I hope 1997 manages to outdo 1996.

le of

C Demo

‘Thursday'son#e6dntse-

“The Year ofthe Commodore Demo’

Etch-A-Style by Style
Etch-A-Style was released in September. Due to
the high number of releases, we are alittle behind
cheA-

the times as far as new demo reviews go.

The Demos of 1996

1996 NTSC Demo Releases Millenium Alive
Beyond Force First (Suraklin) Style
Party Trap Homport (Roy Batty)
Bone Stripper Millennium Animusic Pack (Ascraeus) -
Bone Stripper.s Return MXR (Fungus) NTSC
Carcass Not Done (Suraklin) Fixed
Carnivorous! Toasted Brain Cells (Suraklin) Etch-A-Style
SatanClaws Victims (Suraklin) Experience 3 (Fatum) - NTSC
Death Lords of Chaos (DLOC) Fixed
Drip Omni Snowllake
Dreamland Temple of Boom
Electron Tidal Forces Tribe (Therapy) - NTSC Fixed
Eternal Wix Bouncer V5.0A (Elwix)
Oxyron X-96 Graphics Winners - NTSC
From the Ashes (FTA) Dawnfall Fixed
Template Magic Zone 2
Template Tutorial PSW
Wevealed Hatework
Forces of Evil Inferior
Years RPG Not Dead!
CAT Subliminal Strive
CAT97 Sunset Trail
Digital Magic Stephen Judd
Redrum Polygonamy
S.E.T. Storm

February/March1997

19

Style is unique because it's more than just a
demonstratior fully interactive!

Etch-A-Style is, of course, a Commodore 64
version of the infamous Etch-A-Sketch to}
's better because you never have to

However,

worry about it breaking and having all that powder
released all over your house. Asthe program states,
Etch-A-Style started out as an experiment, but

turned out to bea fun demo forall involved—even
the viewers! The demo’s music is by Deathlok, the
setand sketch padare the resultof PK, the
sketchesweredrawn by PK, The Wiz, Decomp, and
Elwix, and the Etch-A-Style code comes from the
mind of

‘Thedemobeginswith thefamiliarEtch-A-Sketeh
toy displayed on the sereen accompanied by the
music of Deathlok. Viewers are treated to a variety
of Etch-A-Sketch drawin; ted by the cast and
crew of Style. You actually get to watch as the
masterp) re drawn on the Etch-A-Sketch
screen. Some of the drawings are truly incredible.
Personally, I've always found it rather difficult to
compose a drawing with an Etch-A-Sketch.
However, as you can see for yourself, PK makes it
look quite easy.

char;

Once you've enjoyed the Style Etch-A-Style

creations, you can begin designing your very own
Etch-A-Sketch masterpieces. If you have any
problemsusingtheinterface, help isonlyaspacebar
pressaway. By pressing thespacebar, you'llactivate
thehelptextscroller. Picturesaredrawn by pressing
the right and left cursor keys, the Commodore key,
and the shift keys. Two features make the
Commodore Etch-A-Style version better than the
original Etch-A-Sketch: the ability to save your
drawings and the ability to replay the drawing of
your picture, Come to think ofit, there's yet a third
unique featurenot found on theoriginal—theability
ing the “U"
key. You can even clear your picture entirely
from the sereen by pressing the "C” he"c”
key is bound to evoke a few chuckles as your
Commodore 64 shakes your Etch-A-Style
drawing pad toclearitsscreen, Onceyou'rehappy
with your finished picture, you can save it to disk
ater retrieval,

to undo undesirable lines by pre

for ved pictures can later be
loaded and enjoyed in the same manner as the
original creations of Style.

Style has left no stone unturned with it's Eteh-
Style creation. Once you've seen the group's

creations a few times, you may not wish to view

every time you load the demo.
You can head straight to thedrawing pad simply by
pressing the Run/Stop key. The text contained
Within the program is suitable for viewers of all
ages. Etch-A-Style is a demo sure to be enjoyed by
young and old alike, Thanks for the fun, Style!t!

»

their masterpiec

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Carrier Detect

Not long afier I'd begun exploring the world of

telecomms, | was participating in a recipe group
on one BBS, We were each expected to upload
our favorite recipes in a special area on the BBS.
I'd learned how to transfer files, but [hadn't had
experience at sharing te}

(files with those using
other computer platforms. I thought it would be
amatter of just uploading the fileand that would
be it... boy was I wron

When CBM designed their Commodore 8bit
line, they opted to go their own way instead of

using what had become the standard “character
set” for computers, While other computer
manufacturers were using ASCII (American
Standard Code for Information Interchange),
Commodore used a slightly different set of codes
referred to in the C64 Programmers Reference
Guide as "Commodore ASCII". In general use,
most people refer to this as "PETASCIL” When
looking at a true ASCII file with the C64/128, it
appears that the upper and lower case letters have
their places swapped,

When I uploaded my PETASCI file to the MS-
DOS BBS, it ended up looking like gibberish
online, so | took a guess that I'd have to tr
the file somehow. My guess was correct, but the
way L went about things is emba ing today.
If I'd tackled the problem logically, I'd have
realized I need only translate something ONCE.
What did I do? I converted the file to ASCH using
my word processor, and then when | uploaded

slate

the file used Novaterm’s transfer translation too,
IfT had simply done one OR the other it would
have come out correctly.

Later, 1 downloaded recipes that others had
uploaded and found that I still had a lot to learn

COMMODORE WORLD

By Gaelyue R. Gasson

BATTLE OF THE ASCII'S

about ASCII text files. I found myself spending
far more time reformatting the text than should

be necessary, and I knew there had to be an easier
way to deal with these files.

Because text files are a large part of my
computing experience as a writer, I've learned

how to prepare text files to send to other platform
computer users and have it arrive there intact.
I've also learned how to make use of other
platform text files without spending hours
reformatting it. These are two separate but
inter-related subjects. First we'll tackle the basic
differences in text files, then talk about sending
files to other computer platforms, and last, how
to convert files we've downloaded so they're
formatted nicely for our own use.

What's The Difference?

Although ASCII is the standard used on other
computer platforms, there's a variation of
standards as to the end ofline markers, and these
affect how the text is formatted. This
a hold-over from the days when computers were
connected to printer terminals instead of
monitors, and was based on what the printer
hardware required for the end of line character,
are over, but the end of line
differences between computers remains. If you've
ever downloaded a text file created on a UNIX or
Amiga ed that
the text is readable but it looks pretty rough as
all the lines appear to run together.
with these systems use a linefeed as their end of
line marker; when our C64/128 programs don't
find any carriage returns, it shows the entire file
as one long line of text.

variation is

Those da’

stem, you've probably discov

xt created

22

‘Text created with an MS-DOS computer is
usually formatted ok when viewed with a
Commodore program, but the end of the line may
show a reversed character at the end or beginning
of each line. In some programs, this is a reversed
*j" character, and in others it may be a reversed
arrow key, MS-DOS text ends with both a
carriage return and linefeed. Our programs
honor the carriage return character with an
automatic linefeed (no special chararacter
required), but some don't know what to do with
the linefeed character in the file so they displ:
as if it were t

To distinguish between the different types of
text files, we'll refer to files that end with a linefeed
as UNIX files, and those that end with a carriage
return and linefeed as MS-DOS files, PETASCII
always refers to Commodore's unique character
code format, and for this article, we'll refer to
ASCII files witha jage return as ASC-CR files.
‘This is the preferred format for viewing ASCII
files with the C64/128,

bac

Sharing Your Files with the Online
World

If you're going to be uploading text files for use
on another platform computer, it’s best to have
the file in the format it will be used in before
uploading it. Usually you can simply upload an
ASCILfile without worrying about the end ofline
format. The only times when the end of line

format need be changed beforehand is if the
is meant to stay online to be read as a text file
(not in a message online). Changing the
end-of-line (EOL) format is covered later in this
article.

Issue 19

‘There are many ways to change a PETASCII
file to ASCII format. I find it easiest to save the
file as ASCII using whatever program I've used
tocreate the text. The Write Stuffand PaperClip
IIL are two word processors that are capable of
saving files as ASCIL, and there are many others.
For geoWrite files you can use a GEOS utility
named WronglsWrite (wrong-is-wr.cvt) to
convert the file to ASCH or PETASCII, Bear in
mind that any special text formatting such as
fonts or bold won't be converted with the file,
Novaterm users can use menu options within
the term program to translate files before
uploading them.

Converting a File While Sending
Dialogue128 and Novaterm both have options
that allow you to translate text files during a file
transfer, I shy away from using these because I
havea faulty memory and tend to forget that I've
turned this feature on, Because this feature will
translate ANYTHING you download, this is a
sure way to have botched downloads for binary
type files (programs, graphics, ete.).

Buffer Uploads

Many term programs offer the option of sending
text or text files from the buffer, and this is useful
for times when you compose a message offline
and want to importitinto the online systems text
editor. For buffer sends, what format the text
should be in depends on the term program. If
using Novaterm’s “File to Modem” option in the
buffer menu, the file should be in PETASCI
format (the text is sent as ifyou had typed it from
the keyboard). This feature has no relationship
with the Novaterm’s file transfer translation
featurure discussed above.

Other programs, such as Dialogue128 and
Desterm allow you to import text into the buffer
ASCII or ASCII format. Import the
text soit views properly while in the buffer and it
will be sent to the BBS or online service correctly.

Also, it’s important to realize that before using
this feature you must be in a text editor online,
as otherwise the online system will assume that
you're sending it commands—and this could
cause problems.

Reading Files
Sometimes you just want to read a file, but don’t
want necessarily want to edit it. Most text editors
or word processors havea limit to the size filethey
can handle, but there are a couple utilities that
allow you to read files of any size, up to the
capacity of your disk drive.

C64 and C128 users can view PETASCII files
using a utility in the ACE operating

February/March1997

system(ACE15A.SFX through ACE15E.SFX)
called “more”. The command is:

C128 users can view text files using Browser
(BROWSER2.SFX or BROWSERB.ZIP). The
program auto-detects whether a file is ASCII or
PETASCI before displaying it, but for UNIX files
you'll need to change the display options for the
LF (linefeed) character to CR (for carriage return).
Browser defaults to stripping (or ignoring) the
linefeed character, so MS-DOS files usually
display without any adjustments. Browser also
alows forward/backward paging through text
files and saving an index file so you can page
through it faster if you read the file again later.

Converting Text Files
When we download text er
platform computers, chances
convert the end of line format so we can read or
print it formatted correctly.

don other
e we'll need to

‘There's a very easy to use utility that converts
MS-DOS text files to PETASCII is ASCTOP:
written by Russell Prater.
and C128 versions, this ut
to split large files into several smaller
Look for ASCTOPET.C64 or ASCTOP!

Zed (ZEDO007.SFX) for the C128 can set the way
the program reads in (or exports) files by first
going to the options menu (CTRL-o) and
changing the Read and/or Write options so they
match the type of file you have or require. The
idea is to import the file with the Read option as
the fileis currently (you may have to guess, or try
a few different choices), then save the file with
the Write option set for the format you require.
The choices are:

ASCCL MS-DOS text
ASCLF UNIX text
ASGCR = ASCII-CR text
NONE Notranslation (useful forimporting
PETASCII or exporting text in
specific formats).
23

The ACE operating system (file names given
above) has a utility named “tr” that can translate
files and control the end of line character. The
commands are in the format of:

filename

The x and y in the above command can be
replaced by any of the following:

m- MS-DOS
u- UNIX
a-ASC-CR
p-PETASCII

So, to convert an MS-DOS text file to PETASCIL,
we would use the command:

tr -m2p pet.tx! sy

Using BASIC To Change the End of
Line Format

You can use a short BASIC program to change
how the end of each line is formatted. The
following program changes UNIX text files to
MS-DOS format. It looks for linefeed ¢
(chr$(10)) and adds a carriage return (chrS\
Replace the file names “unix.txt” and
dos.txt” with the file names you require.

t" sopen3

strif
a$=chr$ (10) thena$=chr$ (10) +ch
r$(13)

3@ print a$;:print#3,a$;:next

then the program will replace linefeeds with
carriage returns.

Wrap Up

Ithas been a long time since | uploaded a text file
with embarrassing formatting, as I've learned
that it’s an easier process if | always stick with
using ASCII format for my text file way,
without having to look at the contents of the file,
1 know I can pass it on to others (even those who
use other computer platforms) and the file will
come out ok. I see ASCII as an equalizer because
as long as the file is in ASCII, anyone on any
computer can read it.

%)

COMMODORE WORLD

Just For Starters

by Jasou Compton

ED

PUTTING DISK DRIVE ENHANCERS TO WORK

Askany Commodore user, past or present, about
their floppy drive and you can be sure you'll hear
a derisive comment. The 1541, in particular, is a
very slow creature, Stories and legends abound
as to why itis the way but what's important
to know is that there are a variety of things you
can do about it, You can add
equipment to your machine to make
access faster and friendlier.
Themost basic disk drive enhancementiscalled
the DOS Wedge. A software-only version of this
tool is provided on most 1541 and 1571 demo
Its
task is to give you easy access to the DOS (Disk
Operating System) on your floppy. Undernormal
circumstances, sending a command to your dis!
drive to do things such as formatting a disk or

your floppy

disks which shipped with the original drive

deleting a file requires that you enter a sina
program in BASIC, The most typical syntax is:

In the space between the quotes, you can enter
any of the number of commands that can be sent
to the drive. What is happening is that you're
opening communication with your disk drive
(which by default is drive 8, but this can be
changedifyouareusingmultiple drives), sending
it the command between the quotes, and then
closing the communication. This is not the most
convenient way todo things. A DOS Wedge takes
and makes DOS

this unnecessary overhead away
commands much easier.

‘The DOS Wedgeis typically accessed using the
“@" symbol. Typed by itself, the “@
tell you the status of your disk driv

symbol will
When the

COMMODORE WORLD

iriety of

drive is inactive and the drive a
flashin;
drive

slight is not
you should be told thatall is “OK”. Ifthe
slight does flash, which isthe standard
way toindicatean error, the“@" command typed
by itself returns the error status, with a two-digit

code and a short text explanation.

Without a DOS wedge, retrieving this error
code requires a short BASIC program which you
would have to type in any time you wanted to see
theerrormessage—youcan'tloadsucha program
from disk, because doing that load would cancel
the errormessage. You can then look up the error
me anual if you
need further explanation of what the error
signifies.

The wedge does more than just return the
error status, however. Anything typed after the
“@" issentto the disk driveasa command, just as
anything between the quotation marks is in our

¢ in your drive's referen

earlier example. So to delete a file called “testfile”
using a wedge, you simply type

and the drive will execute your instructions. As
aves a great deal of typing, and
'y out

you can see, thi
is more convenient if you need to ¢

multiple deletions in a sitting.

Another bonus of the DOS wedge is the ability
to see a disk drive directory without erasing a
program you might currently have in BASIC.
Typically, one gets a directory by typin

LOAD"$",8

and then LISTing. But this will wipe out anything
you have in BASIC, making it irretrievable. ‘This

24

is extremely inconvenient, particularly if you are
in the middle of typing in a program and need to
see how much space is available on your current
already taken up. A
cl the disk’s directory
tothe screen, preserving everything else you may
have in memory. Most DOS wedges accept the

disk or what filenames are
DOS wedge can directly rea

command

to display a “non-destructive” disk directory.
(Some older cartridges leave off the “@" and
simply require a single
a directory.)

A DOS wedge cannot itself make di
6 for loading and saving files any faster, it
an only make your disk operations quicker to
type in. However, there are various hardware
that give you botha DOS wedge andsome

to be typed to give you

drive

devie
form of disk drive turbo. Typically, these fall into
two categories: cartridges and ROM
replacements. The SuperCPU’s built-in JiflyDOS
falls into both categories, and we'll deal with that
later in the issue.

A Collection of Turbo Cartridges
There are over a half-dozen of these for the
Commodore computers. Most are Commodore
64 compatible only, and will forcea 128 to boot in
64 mode. The first cartridges started appearing
in the early 80s and some, like the Action Replay,
weredevelopedand produced until very recently.
This does mean that none are available on the
new hardware market, but there are scores of
them out there, and many systems being sold
include these devices.

Issue 19

All of the turbo cartridges offer some sort of
DOS wedge, and will accelerate disk and
sometimes even tape drive loading and saving.
Byandlarge, their turbo methods are compatible
only with Commodore 1541 and 1571 drives,
and will fail to work with clone floppies or drives
like the 1581, FD-2000, and hard drives, Further,
the turbo methodsare very compatible for loading
single files butoftenare unfriendlyin commercial
software, particularly those which are copy
protected. Yourmileagewill vary, andyou'lllikely
become familiar with your particular cartridge’s
disable method. All of them have some way or
another to render them almost invisible, but
occasionally you just have to remove them
altogether to get certain stubborn programs to
run, which is a shame.

Among most of these DOS enhancers, you can
expect to find shorthand commands for such
thingsas loading and saving programs. Ty
*/" is used to designate program loadingand
s used to designate loading a machine

sag
language program (replacing loading *,8,1” in

regular BASIC.

An overview of the features and low points of
the cartridges you can expect to find out there is
in order.

Action Replay 5 and 6: This was the last
“supercartridge” in active production, and not
coincidentally it's the best overall. A DOS wedge
was standard, and had the nice feature that it
verified all erase-type operations (format and
ratch) with an “Are You Sure?” question, in
case you were making a mistake. The disk drive
access is significantly increased. Action Replay
offers the most complete “freezer” available.
Recent readers of this column will have heard me
extol the virtues of the freezer, but suffice it to say
here that freezers allow you to save off a game at
any point, explore the code of a program as it
runs, and much more.

Action Replay is among the many cartridges
which offers a machine language monitor. There
arealso built-in disk utilities, such as filea
copiers, The AR will boot a 128 directly into 64
mode, It is somewhat compatible with JiffyDOS
(see later in thea for more on JiffyDOS) but
sometimes the two conflict. One of the most
notable features of the Action Replay was its
ability to save programs in a custom “Warp25”
format, which boasted the ability to be loaded on
any 64 (usingan Action Replay ora custom loader
program you could include on the disk) at up to
25 times the normal speed. ‘These programs
tended to be larger than standard files, however,
soarenotrecommended forall purposes. Finally
the Action Replay has a reset button, which can

February/March1997

come in very handy ifyour machine doesn’t have
onealready. Using a reset button is faster and less
wear on your machine than having to physically
turn it off and on again.

Final Cartridge3: The Final Cartridgeisa powerful
‘one, but is quirky in its own ways. It sports the
most novel feature of any of the ¢;
ROMenhancements, namelyaGUlenvironment
where you have access to a notepad program,
disk utilities, and a few other tools. It's no GEOS,
butit’s entirely built-in to the cartridge, But most
people will be using the FC in BASIC, where it
displays the aforementioned quirks. Like the
others, it has a DOS wedge, but instead of the
typical “@" command, the Final Cartridge’s
wedgecommandisDOS”. For example, ourearlier
delete example would be

tridges or

when usinga

nal Cartridge. Other conventions
are also rejected. Instead of the familiar “/” for

You can add a variety
of equipment
to your machine
to make your
floppy access
faster and friendlier.

program loading, the command is DLOAD, and
similarly DSAVE for turbo disk saving. The Final
Cartridge isn’t a total waste, however. It has a
freezer, although not oneas powerfulasthe Action
Replay’s. Its printer support for screen dumps,
however, is quite powerful, and its machine
language monitorallowseasy searching forsprites
and custom fonts, if you're interested in those
sorts of things. Like the Action Replay, the Final
Cartridge shows you the addresses
programisbeing loaded into, whichis ve
for programmers, andit too boasts
Allin all, a powerful cartridg
look if you can find one.

memory a
yuseful

et button,

res

id well worth a

Mach Sand Mach 128: Access did more than just
publish such memorable titles as Leader Board
Golfand 10th Frame Bowling, they manufactured
and sold these turbo cartridg he Mach 5 is
designed for the C-64 only, while the Mach 128
will operate in both 64 and 128 modes, set by a
built-in switch on the top of the cartridge. It
predates the “supercartridges” like the AR and

25

FC, butstill offers a DOS wedge, disk accelerator,
and various useful utilities.

Unlike most of its counterparts, it does not
have a built-in menued set of utilities like the
Action Replay or a GUE-driven utility screen like
the Final Cartridge. Instead, youacces:
TOW,

sthespecial

commands using theba damenucan
be brought up on your BASIC screen at any time
ifyou've lost your manual. One notable feature of
the Mach 128 is that with a two-key command,
you can use the 128’s extra keys (like the upper
and the numeric keypad) in 64
mode. The Mach cartridges do things a little
sages
returned from a DOS wedge command are
displayed in reverse, and typically over the line
you've just typed (rather than a line or two lower
as is normal for other wedges).

‘The Mach cartridges are on the slower side,
but the 128 model in particular stands out as
being compatible with both sides ofa 128 system,
Thereisareset button mounted on the 128 version
but not the original Mach 5.

row of cursor ke

differently than other cartridges do: disk m

Fastload: To my knowledge, Epyx’s Fastload was
thefirsttohit the market. Atone pointor another,
ybody has to answer to a comparison to
Fastload. Attimesit seems pretty low-frills: there's
a straightforward, standard DOS wedge and a
better-than-nothing disk accelerator. But there's
actually a bit of power stashed in the little black
cartridge, since there’s a built-in menu of utilities
to do disk copying, file copying and erasing, and
even disk sector editing. A rudimentary machine
language monitor is also included, There's no
reset button, but for 128 users at least this isn’t a
major problem.

JiffyDOS and Other ROM
Replacements
‘Thenice thing about the cartridges is that they're
easy to install and are more or less instantly
gratifying, But they tend to disappoint for some
things, like providing compatibility and faster
load and save times within commercial software
and games. ROM replacements like JiflyDOS on
the other hand are harder to install since they
requireyoumakea few changes within youractual
comptuer and disk drive, but can often pay
dividends in their enhanced capabilities, such as
support for non-5 1/4" floppy drives,

Currently, JiffyDOS is available tofill thisniche.
Wi hile it cannot genera
peed ine

ly boast the conditional

some cartridges can get on
aved files, it does have the authority to

special

promise fast loading and saving within most any
software package, and it does indeed work with
more software

COMMODORE WORLD

Table 1
Comparison of Load Speeds
149-block PRG file

Product

Load Time Times Faster
97.1 sec
21.2 sec
20.5 sec
18.7 sec
12.5 sec

8.7 sec

Stock 64
Mach
Fastload
JiffyDOS

Final Cartridge
Action Replay

46
47
5.2
7.8
11.2

JiflyDOS' built-in DOS wedge is second to
none in its command set. The standard DOS
commands you and | would ni
daily basisareall there, as wellasaset ofenhanced
commands to handle things like the enabling
and disabling of JiflyDOS’ various feature:
specially mapped commands which let you copy
files between disk drives quickly and entirely
within BASIC, without relying on support
programs, Virtually all of the JiffyDOS extended
commands are available from BASIC programs,
which is not necessarily true of all DOS wedges.
And you can apply the JiffyDOS wedge to any
JifflyDOS-aware device, such as CMD hard drives,
the FD-2000, and the RamLink.

d to use on a

and

SmartMouse today!

fully programmable for other application.

holding down the right button.

SmartMouse is the Most Advanced
Mouse Ever Created for the
Commodore 64 and 128 Computers!

* Three buttons means convenience! If you're a GEOS user, the left
button is configured as single click, the right as a handy double
click and the center button is the TURBO button which doubles the
speed at which the pointer moves across the screen. All three are

The advantages of JiflyDOS are the increased
compatibility, theability todisabletheturboonthe
fly, and the extended commandsetand power with
modern hardware. The disadvantages are that it
does not provide any sort of reset capability nor a
machine language monitor or freezer. These are

still the domain of the cartridges. Because JiflyDOS
leaves your cartridge port fre
cartridge simultaneously with JiffyDOS, although
occasionally you'll discover that the two systems
will compete. This typically shows up with certain
wedge commands w
not support, or with special, newer devic

you can often use a

h one of the systems does.
like the
FD-2000, You may need to temporarily disable

your cartridge for certain operations.

JifiyDOS is built into the SuperCPU cartridge
port unit, but this only gives you JiffyDOS when
the unit is enabled. When disabled (as is
sometimes necessary to run certain sofiwa
which fails even when the S
butturboisoff), thems )
installed in it as well if you wish to have it in all
circumstances. Ifnot, then youonly need JiflyDOS
as provided in the SuperCPU and can use a
cartridge in other situations.

So, if you're tired of the frustration of
understanding Commodore disk operations, or

Need Input? It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This...

For years, Commodore set the standard with the 1351 mouse. Sure, it was vastly superior to
using old digital input devices like the 1350 mouse or joysticks. But everything can be improved.
Guaranteed 100% 1351-compatible, SmartMouse does everything the C-1351 does and more!
This highly intelligent, three-button input device includes a built-in battery-backed Real-Time
Clock, along with double-click and Turbo features for GEOS. Plus, it comes with a complete set
of utilities for using the clock in GEOS and BASIC applications. Modern ergonomic designs
makes SmartMouse a smooth operator that's a pleasure to use. So, if you're tired of the slow,
erratic movement of your current input device, make the intelligent choice and pick up a

SmartMouse uses the same custom gate array chip as the
Commodore C-1351 mouse to guarantee 100% compatibility.

Switches easily into joystick emulation mode on power-up by

COMMODORE WORLD

26

SmartMouse utilizes the same advanced technology used in today's
powerful 486 and Pentium PC's, providing you with unparalleled
accuracy and smoothness.

Built-in battery-backed Real-Time Clock automatically sets the GEOS
clock, displays time and can be used in your own programs.

Includes utilities disk and detailed manual explaining the utilities
and programming information.

Attention Lefties! SmartMouse can be altered for left handed use.

Table 2
Compatibility with
SuperCPU and JiffyDOS

Product JiffyDOS SuperCPU
Fastload No! No?
Action Replay Yes No*
Final Cartridge Yes Somewhat*
Mach Somewhat No®
Notes:

‘ Using either Fastload or JiffyYOOS commands
fails, but regular commands seem to work.

*The system boots, but completely ignores
Fastload.

*The system crashes immediately, a result of
the incompatible memory maps used by the AR
and SuperCPU.

“At times, the system may ignore the fact that
the Final Cartridge is active.

® The system boots, but disk loads fail.

are fed up with slow loading times, you'd do well
to investigate these options more fully, You may
find products out there—older versions, or
different models—that we haven't covered here,
butthebasicprinciplesaremoreorlessuniversal.
Look for the solution that suits your needs,

9)

Issue 19

UPGRADE YOUR COMMODORE:
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YOUR SYSTEM

The EX2+1 and EX8 Cartridge Port Expanders bring new
expandability to you Commodore 64 or 128, Combine the
use of compatible cartridges. Disable cartridges notin use.
Change the address your computer finds a cartridge at.
Avoid the constant changing of cartridges that puts extra
wear on your cartridge port. The EX3 offers 3 vertical
expansion slots, while the EX2+1 provides 2 vertical slots
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February/March1997 27

COMMODORE WORLD

oe

FROGRAMMIST

By Maurice Randall

Have you ever tried to find documentation on how to write a
Desk Accessory? Look all you want, the info is very slim indeed,
Neither the GEOS Programmer's Reference Guide nor the
Hitchhiker's Guide to GEOS cover it. The most they talk about
itis in the explanation of a couple of kernal routines that are used
for loading desk accessories. Perhaps the manual that is supplied
with GeoProgrammer covers it best since it provides some
example source code. But there are many little details that you as
a@ programmer will discover as you attempt to write your first
Desk Accessory (DA).

One of the biggest problems you'll face is how to use a
dialogue box (DB) from within a DA, This about drove me crazy
the first time I tried to do it. I got frustrated and just created my
own icons instead. But there was one feature that I just simply
could not access without a DB. The DBGETFILES function.
This function is only available from within a DB.

Actually, | could get a DB to work froma DA, The DA would
seem to load and run just fine and even the DB would pop up as
expected, But just as soon as | would exit the DA to return to the
application, the system would crash, Let's figure out why.

Little Applications
The main idea behind a DA is to expand the functionality of any
application that wishes to support a DA, A DA is nothing more
than an application in reality. It is the way that GEOS handles
them that really makes them different from an application. When
an application is running, aside from the operating system, it is
the main controller of the computer. When a DA gets loaded, the
application remains in the computer except for the area of
memory where the DA resides. That area of memory is preserved
and then restored upon exiting the DA, The method which the
area is preserved varies depending on the system, In GEOS 64,
up through V2.0, the area of memory is saved to a disk file on the
currentdrive, InGEOS 128, up through V2.0, itis instead moved
into bank 0, the bac n area.

This saving of a DA to disk on the 64 means that the disk needs
cnough [ree space to accomodate the amount of memory that will

be preserved. Also, the disk cannot be write protected. It would
be equal to the size of the DA itself, On the 128, if the application
is using the back ram for itself, it must deal with that issue also.

Since a DA can be loaded while an application is running,
GEOS must also preserve some other aspects of the computer's
memory, Critical variables and other locations are saved prior to
loading the DA and then restored upon exit. There are a total of
378 bytes in all which must be preserved, These are all saved to
an area known as dlgBoxRamBuf which resides at $851f. GEOS
uses two routines to handle the saving and restoring of these 378
bytes, SaveState and RstrState. They are internal routines used

COMMODORE WORLD

28

MIXING DESK
ACCESSORIES &
DIALOGUE BOXES

by GEOS only and cannot be called directly by an application.

A DB is in some ways similar toa DA, The state of the machine
is also saved and restored before and after a DB is used. The main
difference is that a DB is intended to be contained within an

application and so the area of memory where it is located is not
saved since itis up to the application on how to load the routines
for the DB, Small applications will likely have the DB routines
already contained within the code, Larger ones might store the
routines in separate VLIR record

The main similarity in how GEOS deals with DA's and DB
in the fact that SaveState and RstrState are also used with DB's.
means that the same area at dlgBoxRamBut is used to store the state
of the machine. And there's where the conflict lies,

If you run a DB from within a DA, the state of the machine will
be saved as it is while the DA is loaded. The state that it was in
before the DA was loaded is lost since dlgBoxRamBuf got
overwritten when the DB started up.

1 would guess that when GEOS was first created, DB's were
instituted before desk accessories were thought of. The name
given to the area at dlgBoxRamBuf seems to imply this. When
DA’s were included in the kernal, the designers decided to use
the same location and access the same routines for preserving the
state of the machine. Of course, things like this were necessary
due to the lack of available memory.

There Is Always A Way

By now, you should be realizing a simple solution to the problem,
From within our own DA code, if we set aside an area of memory
that is 378 bytes in size, we can save the ut digBoxRamBuf
before calling DoDIgBox and then restore it afterwards, or at
ng the DA, Here's a segment of code

least sometime before ey
that would do this:

Jsr iMoveData

.word digBoxRamBut
-word dbRamBut
-word 578

jroutines here for the DB...
Jjsr iMoveData
sword dbRamBut
sword digBoxRamBut

.word 378

dbRamBuf:
-block 378

Issue 19

We're Not Done Yet

In our here, we are using a DB from a DA, and a DA should
refrain from disturbing the background screen. This also means
that the DA needs a way to recover it’s own appearance after
running the DB. And you certainly don’t want the area of the
screen where the DB is to be saved to the background screen.
That could really mess up the application the DA is running
from, You can’t be sure if the background screen is being used
as such or s holding program code,

The easiest way to handle this is to keep the DB in the area
where the DA has set up it’s ownself. The DA might have drawn
arectangle to operate in or some other form of screen appearance.
In any case, if the DB is only messing up the actual DA, then it
is a simple matter to redraw the DA after exiting the DB. If you
put the DB outside of the DA, then you will likely have a lousy
looking screen when the DB exits since it was drawn over
whatever the application had running.

If your DA is only using a DB and nothing else, then you need
not worry about saving and restoring the screen. It will be
handled as soon as the DB is finished because your DA will also
end, But you still need to keep GEOS from messing up the
background sci as well as the foreground screen upon exit.
Here's how we do it:

LoadW RecoverUector,#DoNothing
jopen the DB here.
iredraw the DA here.

DoNothing:
rts

When GEOS exits a DB, it calls whatever RecoverVector is
pointing at in order to restore the screen appearance. Normally
this vector points to RecoverRectangle since the coordina'
the DB are preloaded for RecoverRectangle to use. This will
cause the area of the background screen to be drawn to the
foreground screen where the DB was located. We do not want
this to happen since the background screen does not contain what
used to be on the foreground screen, at least not in our case here.
So, we loaded RecoverVector with a routine that does absolutely
nothing. It could also point to the routine that would redraw the
DA. In many cases, that would be better. Don’t worry about
restoring RecoverVector, GEOS will take care of it when your
DA exits, Remember SaveState and RstrState?

A DB From Within a DB

I suppose I should cover one more thing. By now, you should
understand that you can’trun a DB from within another DB. The
state of the machine also applies here. You can do it if you really
want to. The general method, however, is to exit a DB and then

February/March1997

29

run the next one. Clicking on an icon within a DB should merely
set the variable sysDBData with a value that corresponds to
whatever you wish to do and then call RstrFrmDialog. Upon
exiting the DB, that value will be loaded into rOL and can be
easily checked.

But if you really want to run another DB without actually
leaving the current one, you will first need to preserve the area
at digBoxRamBuf like we already discussed and also preserve
one other important location. Just like an application has the use
of registers at a0-a9, GEOS has it’s own register known as sO. In
GEOS 64, this two-byte register is located at $0043, while on the
128, it is at $0044. You must preserve this if you wish to call
another DB without exiting the current one. This register is used
a pointer as GEOS is building the DB and using it. It is set
differently each time a new DB is created. The safest thing to do
with this is to save all 3 bytes from $0043 to $0045 so that your
code will work with either system.

As you can see, you can be quite creative and accomplish many
complex and useful things with just a little bit of work on your
part. The biggest problem is simply knowing how to do it.

§)

MEETING 64/128 USERS
THROUGH THE MAIL

S Cz

NO USER'S GROUP?
USER'S GROUP FADING?

Join our world wide group
for answers to your burning
questions about C=64/128

COMMODORE MAILINK

Contact; Tom Adams, (President)
4427 39TH ST
BRENTWOOD MD 20722-1022
tomadams@sysnet.net

COMMODORE WORLD

SBASIicC

INSTINCTS

By Doug Cotton

BASIC, despite its occasional pitfalls, allows average users to create useful
programs quickly. | often find myself ina situation where | have a file that
needs some special formatting, character translations, or other
modifications that can’t be done quickly with a word processor or by any
other means I have handy. When these situations crop up, I turn to my
trusty Commodore and the built-in BASIC,

While I may find it easy to jump into these “little” projeets, I'm certain
that a lot of other users do not, simply because they haven't learned the
tricks that make coding effective for tackling everyday situations. In last
issue's installment of BASIC Instincts, David Pankhurst covered some nice
programming techniques for avoiding problems in your code, However,
there are a number of simpler issues better aimed at beginning BASIC
programmers that were notaddre nd I'dlike to take this opportunity
to point some of these out, And sin ‘geting beginners, let's it
the very beginning...

Be the Program

Before you write even one line of code, be clear about your objective. Know
what you expect your program to do, and think about what information
your program will need to accomplish the task. It isn’t necess:
flowcharts for small programs, but ifit helps, do it, I's important that you
mentally break the program down into manageable segments before you
start coding, because if you do this effectively, you'll code effectively

ary lo create

Program for Readability
Once you begin programming, possibly most important tip I can give you
istowrite code that's readable, Often you'll find yourself'spending twice as
much time (or more!) making your code work than you did writing it in the
first plac to read is one of the quickest ways to
improve the writing:debugging ratio that haunts every programmer, In
addition, when you find you need a similar program six months after you
a particular piece of code, you'll find it easier to go back and ma

our code e

wrote

There are numerous ways to make code more readable, The first step is
to start right off with a comment:

TRA

Advanced variation: Color your REM statements, Here's how: Type the line
number and REM command, then type two quotes, Delete the second quote,
then enter {RVS ON} [SHIFT-M) {RVS OFF} {INST). Follow this by selecting
acolor using [(CTRL- 1] through (CTRE-8} or {CMDR-I} through [CMDR-8}.
Type your remark text, and end it with another {INST} and color selection,
Press {RETURN when done, If you did this right, your line will change colors

COMMODORE WORLD

30

PROGRAMMING PEARLS:
THE PREQUAL!

when listed. The first color code is for the remark itself, while the one at the end
is for lines that follow it. The reversed (SHIFT-M] issues a PRINT command
when the line is listed,

Follow remarks with something that will make them stand out from the rest
of the program lines: a ‘dummy’ line:

Yes, nothing more than a line number with a colon. Simple, yet effective.
You should use dummy lines both before and after remark lines in your
program, as well as to separate sections (this will be automatic if you put
remarks at the beginning of each segment).

Another good use of colons is to indent loops, Here's an ¢

mple:

REM LOOP TO POKE ING

uted ina
given loop, which can help a lot during debugging. Notice something else
Ifthe
same line were written by someone who didn't care about readability, it
might look something like this:

Using colons this way makes it easy to see just what lines are e

about this code; there's only one programming ‘sentence’ per lin

Alone, this line doesn’t seem too bad; but start stringing a lot of lines like
ated a chore for yourself when it comes to
is going on.

this together, and you've ¢
tracking down where something specif

Test Complex Routines in Advance

While it isn't often I find myselfin unfamiliar territory with BASIC, I do still
run into the need for a routine that I haven't coded in quite some time.
When it comes to these situa
“prototyping” the routine first. That is to say, I create the routine in high
line numbers as if it were a stand-alone program, and then RUN it, closely
monitoring the results. Let's look at an example of this in action, Imagine
that I want to write a routine that creates eight decks of cards, which will
later be shuffled, and 1 want to store these in memory. Each deck has 52

ions, I save myself a lot of debugging by

Issue 19

cards, and can be further broken down into four groups of 13 cards, a group
for each of the four suits.

To save memory, I’ve decided to store both the card value and suit in a
single byte. This requires 52*8 bytes, or 416 memory locations. The card
value can be up to 13, so in binary this will require 4 bits. I'll store this in the
low nibble (a nibble is halfa byte), and I'll store the suit in the high nibble.
‘To prototype my requirements, I first need to check on creating each byte
value correctly. To do this, I'll use exponentiation and a logical OR to move
the card suit into the high nibble. To prototype this I type:

20000
20010
20020
030
040
20050

When I type RUN20000 and press the {RETURN} key, I geta display of the
numbers that my formula generates. | got lucky, and coded this correetly.
I realize that my initial code only gives me one deck, but placing this code
within another loop of 8 to create 8 decks will be real eas
moment I'm more interested in simply testing the values I create for each
card. Now that I know my theory for creating the numbers works in
ice, | can add the two lines I need to generate 8 decks:

19990 FORD=0TO7
20060 NE

Notice that I have used 0 instead of 1 to begin each loop, and ended each
loop at a value one lower than the number of iterations that were needed,
‘The reason I did thisis because | knew from the beginning that | would also
be using these loops to generate memory locations for storing the cards,
Generating those locations will be easier when the loops begin with a zero.
Since I chose this method, the program needs to add one to each variable
Jeulates the suit and card numbers. To check out how [can store these
values to memory in sequence, | add the following line:

asit

20018 PRINT49

+(D*52)+(S*13)4V,;

Lalso remove the comma and semicolon from the end of line 20020, When
the program is RUN, it prints each memory location and what would be
placed into it, Lwatch the numbers carefully, using the (CTRL} key to slow
down the process. The numbers are right, sol can now remove lines 20018
and 20040, then edit line 20020 to read:

20020 :
4) )OR(V+1)

)*

‘The routine is pretty much complete, and | can renumber the lines (by
editing the current numbers and pressing {(RETURN}) and delete th
lines (by entering the just the line numbers themselves) to move the routine
to where I want it in my main program, Naturally I'll add a comment and
some dummy lines to setitapart, Instead of moving the routine, |couldalso
justaseasil e left it where it was, added aline witha RETURN statement
at the end, and used it as a subroutine,

The important thing to glean from prototyping individual routines,
whether it be in BASIC or any other language, is that you know that the
routine you've just written is operating correctly before you make it a part

February/March1997

31

of your entire program. In most cases, then, you will have eliminated most

coding errors before they become difficult to track down.

Using Parentheses
Before we move on, there’
like to point out to you. Looking at the math routines, you'll notice | used
alot of parentheses to separate things. This is good—or at least better than
not having them when you might need them, but aren't sure. To prove this
point, take the (S+1)*(2“4)) calculation into consideration. If this instead
read (S+1*(2“4)), the result of this calculation would be wrong! |
for this lies in the way BASIC prioritizes mathematical operations; unless
otherwise forced by ion takes pr
addition. So instead of getting S+1 times 2™4, you'd get S plus 1*(2%4),
which isn’t the same,

You'll also note in the card routine that I used parentheses to enclose
math operations on either side of a logical operator (ORin this case), Doing
this by habit takes care of some parsing problems that could show up with
AND and OR,

another tip associated with this routine that I'd

he reason

arenthesis, multiplic dence over

‘ake a look at this line for example:

X=TANDA

While the statement is trying to AND the variable T with the variable A to
get the result X, BASIC reads from left to right and sees TAN after the equal

sign, and assumes that the program is trying to get the TANGENT of some
parameter, Since TAN requires its argument in parentheses, this line will

cause a SYNTAX ERROR. You can have a similar problem with the logical

operator OR, Here's an example:

X=FORA
Here BASIC FOR/NEXT loop, and again you'll get a
SYNTAX ERROR. You can fix these problems in one of two w itheruse

aspace to separate leading variables from logical operators, or parenthesize,
I generally use the latter for two reasons; someone reading the code might
leave a space out to save room, and parentheses help to clarify the logic of

a particular statement.

Bypassing BASIC Quirks
‘There are other quirks in BASIC that can cause you unforeseen problems,
and some of them can be a bear to track down if you're not on top of
debugging techniques.

‘Take converting strings to PETASCII values as an example. This is
normally done with the ASC keyword, and the proper way to do it is to add
a null string (CHRS(0)) to the string you're converting. Here's how:

You've probably seen this done in many programs, but some of you may
have wondered why it is done. The reason behind it is that BASIC won't
properly convert an empty string to a null value (0)—it needs help, So as
long as you use the method above, you won't need to worry about getting
an ILLEGAL QUANTITY ERROR, at le

conversion.

st not with that particular

While I can see that I'm running out of room here, there’s no shortage of
BASIC quirks to go around, Before we revisit this subject, however, we'd
like to hear from you, out readers, Tell us about you favorite work-around

for a BASIC inconsistency, and we'll pass it along to everyone else.

COMMODORE WORLD

ARe=MBly

LIN

By Doug Cotion

This issue we're going to mix our m

hine language with a little
hardware. As indicated by the subject heading, that hardware is the
geoCable, What's a geoCable? It's
between the Commodore User Port anda standard printer's Centronics
expensive than using a
smart interface, and printing is actually much faster as well.

What's the catch? As you may have guessed, there is one. The catch
is that most programs don’t know how to use such a cable—it requires
custom printer drivers, While this makes the cable easily applicable to
programs like GEOS that can use external printer driver files, it would
be nearly impossible to use with programs like The Print Shop, which
has all of its printing information embedded in the main program.
ily, some of the most important printing programs—word
processors—often have support for this type of cable. But for those of
us who like to create our own programs, writing and integrating a

rather simple cable that connects

port. This kind of connection is much less

geoCable driver is a prerequisite for using this cable.
‘To get started, we should take a brief look at the signals and timing
information related to driving a Centronics port printer. Figure 1 has.

(STB) line low for minimum of 1 microsecond (T2) while the data is
valid, Data should be valid for .5 microseconds both before (T1) and
after (T1) the low state of the r
the printer forces the BUSY signal high, and maintains it in this state
until ready for more data, When BUSY retruns to a low state, it also
forces the ACKNOWLEDGE (ACK) line low for a maximum of 5
microseconds (T4). There is no specification on how long BUSY can
stay high; this will vary on different printers, and will also change on
many printers as the internal buffer RAM becomes full.

Implementing a Driver
To implement a driver, we need only apply the specification while
considering the signals available to us via the geoCable (as shown in

Figure 1: Centronics Port Signal Timing

DATA

pres

COMMODORE WORLD

32

DRIVING THE GEOCABLE

the geoCable Wiring Connections in Table 1). Due to the limited 1/O
lines available on the User Port, a minimal hardware specification has
been used. This connects only the data lines, BUSY signal, and STROBE
line to the computer, as well as the various signal grounds.

The data lines connect to Port B of CIA 2. The port itself is
at location $DDO01, while the direction of the port signals are set in
location $DD03. The STROBE line is connected to the only other 1/0
port line available on the User Port, Port A bit 2. This line can be
ed as bit 2 of location $DD00, while bit 2 of SDD02 controls the
direction of data on this line. Since all of the actual 1/0 lines have
already been used by the data and STROBE lines, the BUSY signal has
been connected to the FLAG2 line. This latter connection will tell us
when BUSY goes low by setting bit 4 of SDDOD, CIA 2's Interrupt
Control Register.

The following code is a general implementation ofa driver based on
the information provided above.

accessed

SDD0O

SDD01

FROM $FB

Issue 19

XLATE

BY'DE

; OUTPUT
} AND F

our

Figure 2: Centronics Connector

10-11-12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 29 28 RUU GS

PEE)

Table 1: geoCable Wiring Connections

Centronics Port} User Port | Centronics Port} User Port
Pin Function Pin Desc. | Pin Function Pin Desc.
1 (STB) M (PA2) 19 (GND) A (GND)
2 (DATA 0) Cc (PBO) 20 (GND) A (GND)
3 (DATA 1) D (PB) 21 (GND) A (GND)
4 (DATA 2) E — (PB2) 22 (GND) A (GND)
5 (DATA3) F (PB3) 23 (GND) A (GND)
6 (DATA 4) H (PB4) 24 (GND) A (GND)
7 (DATA5) J (PBS) 25 (GND) A (GND)
8 (DATA 6) K — (PB6) 26 (GND) A (GND)
9 (DATA?) L (PB7) 27 (GND) A (GND)
10 (ACK) ne 28 (GND) neo
11 (BUSY) B (FLAG2)| 29 (GND) A (GND)
12 (PO) nc 30 (GND) ne
13 (SELECT) ne 31 (PRIME) nic
14 (AFAT) ne 32 (ERROR) | nic
15 oa ne 33 (GND) A (GND)
16 (GND) A (GND) 34 ona ne
17 (GND') nc 35 ona we
18 (+5) nc 36 ona ne

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COMMODORE WORLD

Se16 BEAT

By Doug Cotton

One of the more anticipated releases for the
SuperCPUisjustaround the corner. 1'm speaking
of the SuperRAM card for the SuperCPU 64, long
awaited by many of the developers involved in
creating new programs for SuperCPU-enhanced
systems. The card will allow larger programs or
programs with extensive data to be fully loaded
into memory (as opposed to bringing in separate
modules from disk, a process that is both slow
and inconvenient). New programs, written with
the SuperCPU and SuperRAM card in mind, can
offer more powerful features, But before we get
into technical details, let’s take a more general
look at the SuperRAM card itself.

Pictured on the right side of this page is the
prototype SuperRAM card which CMD has
developed for testing. The board contains only
a few component

a clock oscillator, bus
array logic device
(GAL), a digital delay chip, a complex
programmable logic device (CPLD), and a
handful of resistors and capacitors. There are
also two connectors on the back of the circuit
board (not shown) which attach the SuperRAM.
card tothe SuperCPU main board, anda72-pin
SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module) socket
where the RAM SIMM is installed,

As with the SuperCPU itself, the SuperRAM
card's complex circuitry is mostly inside the
CPLD, which contains most of the memory
mapping, control and refresh circuitry. While
this vastly decre
required, developing the logic equations needed
to program the chip for a specific function often

driver, a reprogrammable

es the amount of board space

proves to be very time-consuming,

SIMM Chart
The chart below indicates the size and
organization of 72-pin SIMMs supported by
the SuperRAM card for the SuperCPU. All
SIMMs must be Fast Page Mode type, 70ns
or faster.

SIMM Capacity Row Size Row/Column Adr.

1 MB (256K x 32/36)
4 MB (1M x 32/36)
8 MB (2M x 32/36)
16 MB (4M x 32/36)
16 MB (4M x 32/36)

2KB
4KB
4KB
4KB
8KB

9/9
10/10
11/10
12/10
11/11

COMMODORE WORLD

CMD SUPERCPU RAM
EXPANSION & TIMING

SurenCPu 64
RAM Expansion
Card Prototype

Slated for release in
the next few weeks Is
the RAM Expansion
Card for the CMD.
SuperCPU 64. This
card can contain from
1 to 16 Megabytes of
RAM (using standard
72-pin SIMMs) that
can be used by future
applications. A GEOS
driver is expected to
ship with the card.

The SIMM socket can_be fitted with 72-pin For a good overview, take a look at the
memory modules containing from one to 16 “SuperCPU 64/128 Common Memory Map”.
Megabytes of standard Fast Page DRAM. It’s The areas in white (Banks $00, $01 and $F8-
very important to make sure that theSIMM used _ FF) are the memory found in every SuperCPU,
is standard Fast Page; EDO and other 72-pin with or without memory expansion. Banks
SIMM types are not compatible, and will not $00 and $01 are static RAM, while $F8-FF are
operate correctly. The memory must be rated at used and reserved banks for the system ROM.
70 ns or faster (the lower the number, the faster This map is identical on both the 64 and 128
the speed rating), but bear in mind that faster versions of the SuperCPU, though the 128
RAM doesn't translate into faster s (the version will have two additional banks of static
DRAM controllerhasfixed speeds for performing RAM which will be swapped in at Banks $00
memory access). and $01 as needed.

For additional information on compatible Given the general map, there is room for
SIMMs, see the SIMM Chart included with this expansion RAM at Banks $02 through $F7. To
article. The chart fully specifies all SIMMs avoid the need to translate addresses on all
approved for use with the SuperRAM card. expansion RAM, SIMM memory addressing

actually begins at Bank $00, although any
The General Memory Map expansion RAM that occupies the same
Since the 65816 processor can address up to address area as Static RAM (Banks $00 and
16 Megabytes ofRAM, theSuperRAMmemory $01) or ROM (SF8-FF) isn’t accessible, The
is unlike previous RAM nders (such as SIMM RAM Banks $00 and $01 have been
the Commodore 17xx series REU’s) in that moved to Banks § nd $F7, and reserved for
programs can actually execute directly from future system use. This then means that any
this memory. It’s also important to note that system with expansion RAM (any size) will
programs don’t have to use the 65816's native have this extra RAM available for future OS
mode to be able to access this extra RAM, capabilities, but it also means that the last
although there are some advantages to doing Bank available for user programs will be Bank
so, The program SUPERRAMPAKE, which $F5 (on a system with 16 Megabytes of
accompanies this article, contains a subroutine expansion RAM installed).
that shows how extra memory can be accessed
in 6502 emulation via “long” addressing Detecting Expansion RAM
modes. We'll discuss that more a little later, Naturally, one of the more important
but we should first look at how the SuperRAM questions on programmer's minds is, “How
card fits into the SuperCPU memory scheme. do I detect RAM expansion, and how do I

34 Issue 19

know how much there is?” Okay, that's two
questions, but we've got answers for both.
First, any new SuperCPU sold after the new
SuperRAM card becomes available will sport
anew version of the SuperCPU ROM. Likewise,
all SuperRAM upgrades sold to users with
older SuperCPUs will include the new ROM.
Thus, the first step in determining if RAM
expansion is present will be to check the ROM
version. This is accomplished by reading four
bytes, beginning at $00E487 (64 mode only!).

SuperCPU 64/128
Common Memory Map

ROM
~ System RAM _

Banks
Banks $F6-F7

Banks $02—SF5
16 MB Expansion RAM

Banks $0
8 MB Expansion RAM

4 MB Expansion RAM

Banks $02-S0F
1 MB Expansion RAM
Bank so1 - PsuedoROM, RAM
Bank 500 - RAM

February/March1997

These four bytes contain the version number
string in PETASCII. The version that will
provide initial support for expansion RAM is
“1.40”. Read these bytes and compare for this
number. Ifthe version number is lower, there's
no expansion; if it’s the same or higher, there
may be expanded memory, and you'll need to
move on to the next step.

If you found a version that supports RAM
expansion, read in four bytes beginning at
$00D27C. These bytes contain the following
information concerning RAM expansion:

$00D27C First Available Page
$00D27D Bank of First Available Page
$00D27E Last Available Page+1
$00D27F Bank of Last Available Page+1

If there isn’t any extra RAM installed, all four
bytes will contain zeroes, The BASIC program
SUPERRAMDETECT provides an example of
checking these parameters and calculating the
available expansion memory. Please note that
these variables are only valid in Bank $00 while
Oi: ched in; should you need to check for
expansion RAM with I/O out, these values are
available in the same locations of Bank $01.

If your application needs to use some
portion ofexpansion RAM, it must also update
the memory variables. This requires
in the SuperCPU II/W registers by storing any
value at $00D07E (decimal 53374). After you
have modified the variables, turn the
SuperCPU H/W registers back off by storing
any value to $00D07F (decimal 53375). Again,
1/0 must be enabled during any of these
changes, or you'll need to change the variables
directly in Bank $01.

It is very important that you pay attention
to the expansion RAM variables, and that you
don’t make any assumptions with regard to
RAM availability; some future system
extensions or user programs may steal some
of the RAM before your application is started.
As a result, it would be wise to create your

tching

program code and/or data segments in a
manner thatallows them tobe relocated. CMD
is presently working toward standards and
tools that will make writing and utilizing
relocatable code less painful, but it will make

35

the transition easier if 6502/65816
programmers start getting familiar with the
techniques now.

To assist you in testing routines that detect
RAM expansion, we've included the program
SUPERRAMFAKE with this article. You may
use this program to trick your SuperCPU into
believing that it has RAM expansion available,
as well as the proper OS version required to
support it.

Speed Considerations

As you may already know, Dynamic RAM
(DRAM) isn’t as as Static RAM (SRAM),
but it is far less expensive and available in
larger capacities. This explains why DRAM
was chosen for expansion memory.

Taking the speed into consideration, CMD
employed special circuitry into the SuperRAM
card's DRAM controller to help the DRAM
keep up. Understanding how this controller
‘thinks’ is the key to optimizing the speed of
expansion RAM accesses on the SuperCPU,

DRAM, unlike SRAM, must be pre-charged
before valid data can be read from a specific
address. DRAM also requires periodic ‘refresh’
in order to maintain its contents, These are the
factors that add time to accessing the memory.
The memory cells themselves in Dynamic
memories are organized into an array of rows

Expansion RAM Speed
Characteristics at 20 MHz*
Sequential Read within Row’: 1 Cycle
Non-seq. Read within Column*: 1 Cycle
Non-seq. Read, new Column? in Row'; 2 Cycles
Read from new Row': 3.5 Cycles
Write within Row': 1Cycle
Write in new Row': 3 Cycles
Read during Refresh*: up to 8,5 Cycles
Write during Refresh: up to 8 Cycles

‘Rows are 2K, 4K or 8K Bytes, depending on the
‘SIMM (see SIMM Chan).

*Columns are groups of four bytes each on
‘supported 72-pin SIMMs (see SIMM Chart),
5Refresh occurs approximately every 10
microseconds.

“At 1 MHz all times are 1 cycle (synchronized to
the computer's Phase 2 clock), refresh is hidden.

COMMODORE WORLD

and columns. On memory modules such as the
SIMMs used by the SuperRAM card, these rows
and columns are combined in a way that allows
all the bits in a byte or a word to be precharged
and accessed as a group.

Ifyoulook at the SIMM Chart in this article,
you'll notice that we included the number of
addressable bits for rows and columns, as well
as the number of bytes within a specific row.
Let's look at the 1 MB SIMM to understand
how this information describes the SIMM.

There are 9 bits used to address rows, and

another 9 bits for columns. Since 249=512,
we can deduce that there are 512*512 array

crosspoints, which gives us 262,144 unique
addresses. Divide that by 1024 (1K), and you'll
get 256... so there are 256K addresses on this
SIMM. Since each address has 32 bits of data
(or 36 on a parity SIMM), there are 4*256K,
or one Megabyte (1,048,576 Bytes) of 8- or
9-bit memory locations.

Still with me? Okay, we can also deduce
from the SIMM is that each row contains 2 KB
($800 bytes) of 8- or 9-bit data, since there are
512 columns of 4 bytes each per row.

Nowlet’s look at how the SuperRAM memory
controller handles thin} me fora moment
that you have a routine situated at $020000, the

SUPERRAMDETECT
am get ver al gotoseo
vS="" 163
ori 58503¢ 126 custom values
$+ch 213
40 ne 91 DN) ente
5@ v=eval(v$ end addre
60
710 1.4@the 54 ting bank (sb) ";ui$:gosub4
80 : sb=ui
10@ rem get ram size ‘ation 240 | 431 input"starting page (sp)";uiS:gosub4
110 sp=peek (53884) tart page 60:sp=ui
120 sb=peek (53885) start bank 101 input "ending bank{3 SPACES) (eb) ";uis
130 ep=peek (53886) nd page :gosub460:eb=ui
140 eb=peek (53887) : rem end bank 35 | 433 input"ending page(3 SPACES) (ep) ";uis
142 ifsb+sp= dthen20o :gosub460:ep-ui
145 68 44® return
150 (eb*256+ep) -(sb*256+sp) 253
160 : 140
170 printx*256"byt 132
180 print" starting at" (s p)*256 141 1) =mid$(h$, i, 1) thenui=
190 end
192 59 +l)smid i
200 1t"no ram expansion"
90
108 | 480 return
38 490
194 | 500 rem ore dummy values
45 501:
11@ | 5@4 pl=12403 v=ase (mi
v1))tgosub51
"Ly Pee p=0:sb=@:ep=0:eb=-@ 49 505 :
144 "@123456789abcdef" 44 506 pl=119420:pv= 18
148 | 9 225 | 507 pl=pl+l:pv
20 | 100 print" {HOME){3 CRSR DN){15 SPACES)1. 222 pl=pl+1:pv=ep:gosub518
2 SPACES}@ mb" 11 l=pl+1:pv=eb:gosub518
print" (15 }1 mb" 58
rint’(15 }4 mb" 211
int”(15 8 mb" 61
131 t((pl-(b*65
256))
67
104
100
230
36
2 1 320,330, 40, 35 168 addr
300 sp 187 rem bank
310 s ot 0500 230 rem rts
320 joto5Oo 75
330 rgoto5d@ 188 sy:
340 :goto5ao 162 return

COMMODORE WORLD

36

first available expansion memory location. This
location is the first byte in a row ($020000/
$800=$40 with no remainder), and also the first
byte of the first column of that row (always the
case at the start of any new row, though we can
do the math $020000/$04=$8000 with no
remainder). At this location you have the
following code:

020000 Ad 03
020002 8F 00 03 02

LDA #503
STA $020300

Let's assume you jump to this code from
another Bank or row, and it begins executing,

Issue 19

Normally the LDA immediate would require 2
cycles to complete; 1 cycle to load the
instruction, and 1 cycle to fetch the immediate
byte into the accumulator, But in this case it
5 cycles to fetch
the instruction from a new row in expansion
RAM, then L more cycle to fetch the immediate
byte. The latter took only 1 cycle because the
row and column were already charged, and

would require 4.5 cycles

the controller knows this. If you're wondering
how an operation can take an uneven number
of cycles, you need to takea look at the sidebar
on Clock Stretching.

Now the next instruction, STA, is fetched in
1 cycle, and the three address bytes are all
fetched at 1 cycle for each, When the second
byte of the address (the $03 at $020004) is
fetched, we cross over into a new column,

Normally this would require an extra cycle,
due to column address access timing
requirements; however, the controller outputs
the next column address when the processor
reads from $020003 by assuming that the next
access will be in the following memory
location, By always ‘guessing’ that the next
access will be sequential, the DRAM controller
saves time when this proves to be the

Back to the example, ther
left to perform: store the
memory. This usually takes 1 cycle, but the
location where it is to be stored is ina distant
column of the same row, so it takes 2 eyeles,

This set of instructions would normally take
7 cycles in SRAM, but in expansion RAM, it
requires 10.5 cycles, This may seem slow at
first, but when contrasted with a stock 64
running at 1 MHz, we're still operating over
13 times faster (the throughput is
approximately 13.4 MHz in this particular
case), We could also modify the program so

's one operation
ccumulator to,

that the store instruction places the value
into Static RAM instead of Dy
$003000, and save an additional cycle. This
would kick the effective speed up to 14.7 MHz.

It’s also important to note that most of our
loss in throughput came when our code began
executing ina new row, This doesn't happen

nic, say at

often, since rows are at least 2 KB wide,
Consider a whole 2 KB segment of contiguous
code executing from DRAM, with all external
reads and writes going to Static RAM. Under
those circumstances you might achieve a
throughput of 9.9 MHz—not
considering refresh or occasional jumps and
branch

Refresh? Yes, DRAM needs to be refreshed
to maintain its contents, and at these speeds,
it can no longer be ‘hidden’ as it commonly is

over

February/March1997

Clock-Stretching

While many of the operations within the SuperCPU occur at a normal 20 MHz rate, some
operations may take longer than the single cycle in which they should usually occur on
a 1 MHz Commodore computer. Under these circumstances, the high half of the clock
signal is stretched to meet the requirements of the operation. In the example below we
show the System Timing Base (40 MHz) and how the System Clock itself would look
while executing instructions at full speed (Normal Operations). The bottom example
shows what happens during an operation that requires 3.5 20 MHz clock cycles to
complete. The low part of the cycle has a duration of 25 nanoseconds, or half of the
duration of a 20 MHz cycle; the high portion of the cycle is stretched, giving it a duration
of 150 nanoseconds. The total duration of this cycle is 175 nanoseconds, or 3.5 times
the 50 nanosecond period of a standard 20 MHz cycle. You may note that this causes
what may appear to be a phase inversion; thats to say, the clock signal is now low during
a period in which it originally would have been high, and vice-versa. This factor is of no
importance, however, and only becomes an issue when synchronization with the host
computer's clock becomes necessary. When that occurs, clock stretching is used as
required to bring the SuperCPU clock into phase with the host computer's clock.

System Timing
Base (40 MHz)

(UU

UU

TUL

fe-so ns

Normal Operations
(20 MHz)

175 ns

Clock-Stretched
Operation

at 1 Miz, Refresh occurs once approximately
every 10 microseconds (about 200 cycles) and
can cause a 1 cycle DRAM memory operation
to take up to 8.5 cycles to complete. We could
see up to 11 refreshes while executing a 2 KB
segment of code, so if take this into
consideration, our throughput drops to about
19.2 MHz,

Now if we also consider a branch or jump
every 20 bytes (that’s actually quite a high
average), we get an overall throughput of
around 18.3 MHz; still a remarkably good
figure. Naturally, your own programs will vary
from this mar!
them, and how often you perform other

depending on how you write

accesses that can cause slowdowns (such as
1/0 access or frequent writes to mirrored
memory).

Other SuperCPU Timing Issues

With the proverbial ‘can of worms’ now open,
let's consider the other timing aspects of the
SuperCPU. The SuperCPU Special Function
‘Timing Chart will be our guide as we discuss

37

the ous functions. Please note that the
signal relationships on the chart have been
calculated using the NTSC dot clock frequency,
but the times indicated are identical on PAL
systems,

Access to Static RAM is always one cycle for
reads. Writes also take one cycle—except
under certain conditions. What can slow down
a write is ‘mirroring’, where data is being
written through to the RAM in the host
computer. Mirroring is performed in order to
make sure that the VIC chip, which reads.
sereen and color data from the computer's
own RAM, has proper data for the display.
Since it isn’t possible to detect in real time
ctly where (in memory) the VIC will be
looking for data, the SuperCPU’s default is to
mirror all writes to Bank $00 RAM,

A mirrored write doesn’t automatically

mean a speed penalty, however, since the
SuperCPU employs a one-byte cache (buffer)
for write-throughs. Refer to the Mirrored

Memory Cache Latch timing. You'll see that

the cache is cleared during the low phase of

COMMODORE WORLD

the first dot clock cycle following the
computer's Phase 2 signal going low. The latch
stays low for 25 ns, and the cache is then ready
for another byte to be written through. Any
byte must bein the cache at least 70 ns prior to
the dot clock high transition that signals the
computer's Phase 2 line to go high—any later
than this and the cache mechanism has to wait
until the Phase 2 clock cycles around again. In
either case, the operation of the cache is
transparent to program timing as long as no
additional mirrored writes occur while the

cache latch status is high,

This leads us to consider what happens if
the cache is already full when a mirrored write
occurs. The result is a clock stretch for the
SuperCPU Phase 2 clock, which will stay high
until the cache is cleared. Once this has
occurred, the waiting byte can be put into the
and the SuperCPU returns to normal
20 MHz operation. Spacing writes to mirrored
memory (as well as using the optimization
modesto reduce mirroring) will help maximize
program efficiency, With one mirrored store
every 19th cycle you'll get maximum
throughput ofone cache write per 1 MHzcyele,
provided there are no other special functions
that slow things down.

Thenext area we'll look atis 1/O access, which
covers reads and writes to $00D000-$00DF
with I/O switched in, and also includes a few
miscellaneous locations. Most I/O reads and

SuperCPU Special Function Ti

writes follow the timing specification shown as
SCPU Phase 2 1/O Reads/Writes. Any store or
load cycle to 1/O causes the SuperCPU Phase 2
line to go high until the data can be written or
read. The store or load must occur at least 70 ns
prior to the dot clock high transition that signals
the computer's Phase 2 line to go high in order
tohave the I/O access occur during the current
1 MHz cycle. If the access is to standard I/O,
the SuperCPU Phase 2 will transition low about
105 ns after the rising edge of the dot clock
cycle that signals the host computer's Phase 2
togo low, This timing of the SuperCPU’s Phase
2 line also applies to cache full mirrored writes
toRAM, memory location $000001, and reads
from $00DF01, $00DF21, $00FFOO.
Furthermore, this timing is used to read from
ROM cartridges installed in the $008000-
SOO9FFE or $00A000-SOOBFFF memory areas,
An 8-cycle spacing of standard 1/0 access

provides best throughput.

Inaddition to standard 1/O readsand writes,
the Long I/O Write timing specification
that applies to locations $OODFO1, SOODF21
and $00FF00, The long write has the same
input deadline as all other special timing
functions, but holds the SuperCPU Phase 2
line high 24 ns past the start of the fourth dot
clock cycle after the computer's Phase 2 is
signaled to go low. This timing was created to
satisfy requirements of Commodore REU
DMA operations.

k- 70 ns.

The final special I/O timing specification
only applies to writing to the CIA chips
($00DC00-SO0ODDFF), Here, a standard 1/0
write is performed, but the next processor
cycle (usually a fetch of the next opcode) is
stretched into the next computer Phase 2 cycle,
and ends where a long I/O write would end. It

cessary to use this timing ton
impossible to read back froma CIA during the
two 1 MHz cycles following the write. The
reason? Because the CIA I/O lines are
terminated with resistors, causing them to
react slowly when going high, Reading too

soon can generate erratic results,

Last ofall, there is one final inconsistency in
timing that isn’t indicated on the chart. This
applies to accessing the special SuperCPU
RAM placed in the 1/O area, Access to this
RAM takes two 20 MHz cycles instead of one,
because the SuperCPU needs to first decode
that this area isn't actual 1/0 before it can
perform the load or store function requested.

Conclusion

There are many factors to consider if your
program is to achieve optimal throughput.
Reducing mirroring, spreading special
accesses, and optimizing routines that really
need it will give you the most speed for your
effort, without making the process excessively
difficult and time-consuming.

Host Computer's
Dot Clock

PLELT LI

UUUU

Host Computer's
Phase 2 Clock

Mirrored Memory
Cache Latch

SCPU Phase 2
VO Read/Write

‘must bo going low —e!
by this point |

SCPU Phase 2
Long I/O Write

SCPU Phase 2
CIA Write

COMMODORE WORLD

“+1105 ns le

24 09

38

tt

Issue 19

CHECKSUM

Commodore World’s Program Entry Checking Program
and Tips on Entering Programs from this Magazine

CHECKSUMisa program that proofreads your typing when youenteralisting from
the magazine. Itassigns a numerical value to each character that you type, adds up
the values ofthe line you typed and displays the sum. (Checksum, therefore, means
that it checks your typing by summing the characters.) It also verifies that you have
typed the characters in the proper order. (Checksum won't tell you if you missa line
of code entirely, so verify that yourself.) Checksum runs “in the background” when
you type in lines of program code, Whenever you type a line and press RETURN,
Checksum will display a value. Compare that value to the value published next to
the line of code in the magazine. If the numbers match, you've typed the line
correctly, Simple,

Typing in CHECKSUM

First, type in Checksum carefully from the listing on this page. Be sure to press
RETURNafterevery line toenteritintomemory. Onceyouhave typed the program,
save it, In fact, save it a few times while you're typing, just to be safe, (This is good
advice whenever you type ina program. Lusually change the name each time I save:
for example, Checksuml, Checksum2,and soon.) Double-check your work, making
sure that you've typedin every line and that you've pressed RETURN after every line
you've typed. Ifyou make errors when typing in Checksum, a test run of Checksum
willtell you which line is incorrect, (This safety feature works only in the Checksum
program itself, and does not apply toany otherlistingsin the magazine.) Whenever
you find a typing error (in any program listing), fix it, press RETURN to enter the
change, save the program again and try another run. Repeat this process as often as
necessary. Important tip: Don't get discouraged if the program won't run. Be
patient, Be thorough. It will work eventually. You'll know your Checksum is ready
when you see the line:

TO TOGGLE

Entering Programs Using CHECKSUM

When you're ready to type in your first listing from the magazine, load and run
Checksum. Makea note ofthe number thatis displayed on the screen (49152 forthe
C-64; 3328 for the C-128), To activate and deactivate Checksum, type SYS followed
by that number, then press RETURN, Younced to have Checksum active whenever
you're typing in a listing. Checksum must be deactivated, however, when you run
the new program. ‘The next step is typing in a new program listing as it appears in
the magazine.

As you begin, you'll notice that to the left of the start of each line is a number,
Don't type this number in: It's simply the Checksum value, Stop typing at the end
of the program line and press RETURN, If you've typed the line correctly, the
number displayed on the screen will match the Checksum value. If the numbers
don't match, you've made a mistake. Check the line carefully, make your changes
and press RETURN, The computer won't know you've made a change unless you
press RETURN on the changed line to enter it. A few type-in hints: The Checksum
does not verify blank spaces in the program lines unless they are within quotation
marks, because adding or omitting such spaces will not affect the operation of the
program. The exception to this is hexadecimal Data statements, These are the Data
statements, such as this one, that don’t have commas:

100 DATA 12345678901234567890*12

4
67890*12345678901234567890*

Instatements such as these, you must have one space between the word DATA and
the numbers that follow. Checksum will not catch that error.

February/March1997

39

Special Key Combinations

Asyoutype, you may be confused the first time you see curly braces (). These braces
mean “perform the function explained within." For example, (22 SPACES) means
that you need to press the space bar 22 times. Don't type the braces (you can't, of
course, because thereareno curly braces in the Commodore character set), Here are
some other common

ples:

{CLEAR/HOME) hold down the SHIFT key and press the CLR-HOME key,
{2 CRSR DN}
(CTRL i}
(CMDRY

tap the cursor down key twice.
hold the CONTOL key and press the I key.
hold down the COMMODORE key and press the T key.

Continue typing in your program, saving often and checking each checksum value
with the one in the magazine, until you've finished the listing. Phew! So now you're
to run your program, right? Not quite, First, save it, Second, deactivate
Checksum by typing SYS followed by 49152 for the C-64 or 3328 for the C-128. Now
youcan run, Don't be discouraged ifyou still get an error. Ithappens. Use Cheeksum
faithfully. Be patient. Be thorough, It will work eventually.

CHECKSUM

0) sksum 64/128

30 printchr$(147):print*cw checksum*;strS (mo) :pr
40 print"to toggle on or off, sys"; mo=12 {'}

a data error in

print*you ha

rem do ni

COMMODORE WORLD

* CLASSIFIED ADS *

C=Hacking in Print! $6.00 N
Jim Brain,10710
of ct

Breed Registered Dogs?
Champions in UPP: gi

Need Inkroll for Royal

Lettermaster printer or
11 cor i . 914-679-6101 or E

Wanted: Reference Card or copy of, to Commodore
game 'Dragonworld' by Tellarium. rdon B.

Gillespi 99

Wanted: Map and hints, or copy of, to Commodore
game '‘Dragonworld' by Tellarium. Gordon B.
Gillespie 818- -9915,.

GEOS Publication.

the val to Bs
graphic
, CMD's

3EOS

COMMODORE WORLD

Classified Advertising

Commodore Worldsubscribers may place non-commercial
classified advertising in Commodore World at a cost of
$10.00 per issue. Your advertisement may contain up to
150 characters (including spaces). Send your
advertisement with paymentto: CW Classified Advertising,
c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East
Longmeadow MA 01028-0646.

Is your Commodore World subscription close to ‘a
Tuning out? Here's an easy way to check: look at the mailing label on the
front of your copy. You'll find your subscription number and the expiration
issue number. For example:

Don’t wait until it’s too late...

3 Home

srand Rapid

Jim's subscription will run out with Issue 19 as indicated by the
EXP19 in his subscription code. Jim would be wise to re-subscribe
early to avoid missing a single issue of Commodore World!

COMMODORE WORLD 40

ADVERTISERS
INDEX

Commodore Country
Commodore World
Computer Bargain Store
Creative Micro Designs........
Genie...
J.P. Products by Mail
Loadstar

5,33,40

33

15,20-21 ,26,27,33,40
Inside Front Cover

Meeting 64/128 Users Through The Mail
Paxtron

Raymond Computer
Sunrise Software...
Tech Star

Vintage Computers

ChAD Service Center

AFFORDABLE ¢ FAST « DEPENDABLE

Call Today 1-800-638-3263

Our Team of Technicians are Among the
Most Qualified in the Industry!
Why Settle for Anything Less Than the Best?

We repair the following equipment: Commodore C-64, 64C, SX-64, C-128
and C128-D computers; 1541, 1541C, 1571 and 1581 Disk Drives plus
CMD Devices. JiffyDOS Installations a specialty, All repairs warranted for
30 days. Minimum charge $35.00 plus parts and return shipping. You must
contact CMD for authorization before sending any equipment.
Creative Micro Designs, Inc. P.O. Box 646 E. Longmeadow, MA 01028

Don’t forget to
COMMODORE WORLD!

Please call or write with your change of
address 6 to 8 weeks prior to your move so
that you won't miss a single issue!

CW Address Change, P.O. Box 646,

E. Longmeadow, MA 01028
413-525-0023

Issue 19

y—( a0 J Mrl= ACCELERATORS
FOR THE eer (—F C18

| os hn

What will the SuperCPU do for me? Ultra Fast * Compatible * Easy-to-use
Programs will suddenly spring to life—screens and menus * High-Speed microprocessor, 128K fast RAM, advanced
pop up instantly, scrolling becomes fluid, and graphics fly. A hardware logic, and up to 512K ROM enable you to run all
C-64 equipped with the SuperCPU is like having a types of existing commercial software at speeds up to 22
Volkswagen with a V-8. There's one small exception—the times faster than stock machines.

SuperCPU rides much smoother. Even though the SuperCPU BASIC programs, including most Bulletin Board Systems,
gives your computer a radical increase in horsepower (up to seem to run as fast as machine language, and compiled
22 times faster), its operating system makes that power BASIC programs run faster than ever!

usable by maintaining compatibility with most existing Commercial machine language programs (databases,
software and making its operation transparent to the user. spreadsheets, word processors, telecommunications,
Looking to the future, the powerful 65816 microprocessor gives graphics, etc.) run so fast that you'll think your running
programmers vast new resources to create powerful and them on another computer!

sophisticated software. With its 16-bit registers, up to 16 MB of GEOS comes alive—No typing or scrolling delays, graphic
system memory, and 6502/6510/8502 emulation, the operations happen instantly, faster printing and disk
SuperCPU makes it easy to enhance existing software as well access! Includes enhanced GEOS setup utility!

as providing the power to create Internet browsers, animation Easy-to-use: Plug it into your cartridge port and start
and other high-tech applications! The SuperCPU provides a working—no messy cables or special adjustments.
bright future for a new generation of Commodore computing. Built-in JiffyDOS Kernal boosts disk access speed up to
So join the Commodore revolution and order a powerful new 15x faster with JiffyYDOS equipped drives.

SuperCPU TODAY! Pass-thru port provides compatibility with RAMLink,

SurernCPu ost $199, 00* SwiftLink, GEORAM, 17xx REU's and other cartridges.

12 299.00** Unit Enable/Disable, JiffyDOS On/Off, Normal/Turbo
ae TY AK,HI $299. $20 Speed, and Reset switches make using the SuperCPU a

* $50 Deposits being accepted now, Available in 1997, snap. An internal connecector simplifies future expansion.

se — SPECIAL i

SuperCPU 64 with: RAMLINK IMB $369% or RAMLiNK 4MB $409
Shipping & Handling; Cont. US $15” / AK,HI,PR $40” / Canada $25" / Foreicn CALL

NEWS FLASH:

14.4/28.8 MODEMS
NOW OBSOLETE!

The quest for faster internet access has made 33.6K modems the
new standard, with 57.6K modems not far behind. SwiftLink and other
first generation interfaces simply can’t keep up—putting your
Commodore in the slow lane on the Information Superhighway!

The all-new Turbo232 has been Creative Micro Designed to keep
pace with the explosion in telecommunications technology!

° High-Speed Support Turbo232
keeps up with today’s fastest
modems, offering speeds up to

230Kbps
he i M f
Tufo C232 © Easy-to-use! Turbo232 simply
HIGH SPEED MODEM INTERFACE i plugs into the expansion port and

connects to almost any external
Hayes-compatible RS-232 modem

° SwiftLink Compatible Turbo232
has been designed to work with
programs written for SwiftLink

© Easy Configuration Turbo232
has easy-to-configure jumpers for
users with special requirements

BOCAMODEM \

one eee @ @
7M AA HS OH SD AD TR CD

Woedenis: 300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 14.4K, 28.8K, eee
33/6K and 57,6K
Baud Rates: 150, 219,84, 269.16, 300, 600, 1200,

2400, 8600, 4800, 7200, 9600, 14.41,
19,2K, 38,4K, 57.6K, 115.2k, 2c0,4k ° Null Transfers May also be used

Jumpers: 1/O Page ($DF/$DE), Interrupts: NMI/ as a null modem interface for
IRQ, DSR Enable/Disable fast data transfers with other
Connector DB-9) Male (AT-style) computers (i.e. PC, Mac, Amiga)

To order call: Turbo232 (Includes Novalei 9:6 Lite) 639%
Modem Cable (DB9-25) *

1-800- 638-3263 Turbo232 w/Novaterm 9) a 765"

(Mon.-Fri, 9a.m.-Sp.m. EST) Turbo w/Modem 33,6 & Cable 199%

Turbo w/Modem 33,6, Cable & Novaterm 9,6 224%

St